FRONTISPIECE. 


Harold  Dorsey.  p. 


HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 


BY 


MARY   DWINELL    CHELLIS, 

ATJTHOB  OF  "  TWO  BOYS  SAVED,"  "  THINGS  COMMMON  AND  UNCOMMON,' 
"  OLD  MILL,"  "  DEACON  SIMS'  PRATEKS,"  SIC. 


BOSTON: 

CONGREGATIONAL  PUBLISHING  SOCIETY, 
BEACON    STREET. 


COPYRIGHT,  1881, 
BY  CONGREGATIONAL  PUBLISHING  SOCIETY. 


BOSTON  STEREOTYPE  FOUNDRY, 
4  PEAK.  STREET. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTF.H  PAGE 

I.     COMFORTED 5 

II.     Ax  AFTERNOON  EXCURSION 25 

III.  THE  SUNDAY  MEETING 45 

IV.  WISHING .    .  CO 

V.     A  BEAUTIFUL  WOULD 78 

VI.       NORAH    BORINE .  96 

VII.     THE  FIRST  PRAYER 115 

VIII.     Miss  SPERRY > .    .  130 

IX.     A  SUMMER  VACATION ,    .   .  148 

X.     CAMPING  OUT 166 

XI.     THE  OLD  HOME 186 

XII.     THE  CHOPPER 205 

XIII.  Miss  SPERRY'S  COUSIN    ,                              .  224 


4  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTEB>  PAGE 

XIV.     THE  BRIGHT  SIDE 240 

XV.     THE  PEOPLE'S  LIBRARY 256 

XVI.     HAROLD  DORSET  IN  SCHOOL 272 

XVII.     BORN  TO  BE  A  LEADER 290 

XVIII.    A  VINE  CLAD  COTTAGE 305 

XIX.     A  DISAPPOINTED  OLD  MAN 319 

XX.     THE  FRAGMENTS  OF  A  WILL 337 

XXI.     GOOD  NEWS 350 

XXII.     MANY  CHANGES 366 


HAROLD  DORSEY'S  FORTUNE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

COMFORTED. 

IT  was  a  bright  day  when  the  new  teacher 
came  to  -us,"  said  Mrs.  Rady,  as  she 
talked  with  Miss  Austen.  "  She  comes  to 
our  rooms  of  an  evening  and  sits  with  us 
like  one  of  our  own,  'though  she's  a  lady, 
the  same  as  yourself." 

"  I  am  glad  you  like  her,"  was  replied.  "I 
think  we  are  getting  some  fine  people  about 
us." 

"  You  may  well  say  that,  Miss,  with  your- 
self and  young  master  to  the  fore.  It's  get- 
ting like  what  it  was  in  the  old  master's  time, 
only  with  a  difference  I  can't  explain.  There's 

5 


6  HAROLD  DOESEY'S  FORTUNE. 

good  cloth  making,  too ;  not  a  stroke  of  poor 
work  done  on  the  place." 

Mr.  Bumstead  made  the  same  remark 
while  calling  attention  to  some  recent  im- 
provements ;  reiterating  the  prophecy  that 
they  would  soon  be  "making  piles  of  money." 

"  Mr.  Elliot  thinks  of  the  land,  but  you  can 
well  afford  to  leave  the  fields  fallow." 

"It  does  not  seem  to  me  we  can  afford 
such  waste,"  answered  Miss  Austen.  "  If  the 
prosperity  of  a  country  depends  upon  its  ag- 
riculture, we  must  contribute  our  share.  Mr. 
Elliot  thinks  we  can  derive  a*good  income 
from  the  land,  and  his  opinion  is  worthy  of 
consideration." 

"  That  it  is.  There's  not  much  but  he  un- 
derstands, and  there's  not  a  better  man  than 
he  is.  It  goes  against  me  to  see  him  doing 
the  work  he  does,  'though  he's  a  gentleman  all 
the  same." 

"  Nothing  can  make  him  other  than  a  gen- 
tleman, so  long  as  he  abstains  from  intoxicat- 
ing drink." 

"  And  that  will  be  as  long  as  he  lives.     He 


COMFORTED.  7 

has  changed  while  you  were  away,  and  he 
says  he  has  help  now,  he  never  had  before. 
He  can't  be  doing  his  work  better ;  but  you 
will  know  he's  happier  the  minute  you  see 
him.  There  he  is,  coming  with  Harold.  He 
was  busy  last  evening  with  a  plan  of  the  land, 
and  likely,  by  this  time,  every  rod  of  it  is  set 
down  to  growing  something.  Mr.  Stuart 
says  you  will  decide  about  it  all." 

One  who  saw  Mr.  Elliot  then  for  the  first 
time  would  never  have  dreamed  what  he  had 
been  only  a  year  before.  Harold  remembered 
him  as  he  craved  shelter  from  a  storm  which 
closed  a  day  as  bright  and  beautiful  as  that 
they  were  now  enjoying.  Drenched  with 
rain,  travel  stained,  and  famishing,  was  the 
wanderer  who  accepted,  with  humble  grati- 
tude, the  hospitality  he  received. 

As  for  Richmond  Elliot,  he  had  little  time 
to  indulge  in  retrospective  thoughts.  The 
present  demanded  his  attention.  Had  Aus- 
tenville  been  his  to  have  and  hold  during  his 
natural  life,  he  could  not  have  calculated  its 


8       HAROLD  DORSET  S  FORTUNE. 

resources,  or  computed  its  possible  income 
more  carefully. 

At  Miss  Austen's  request  he  accompanied 
her  home,  and  laid  before  her  the  plan  of 
which  Mr.  Bumstead  had  spoken.  From  this 
she  learned  more  of  her  estate  than  she  could 
have  learned  in  many  long,  toilsome  walks. 

"  I  am  satisfied  to  leave  the  entire  manage- 
ment with  you,"  she  said,  at  length,  to  her 
companion.  "  I  suppose  you  will  choose  to 
take  Harold  as  an  assistant." 

"  It  will  be  best  for  him  to  work  out  of 
doors,"  was  replied.  "  He  would  be  like  a 
caged  bird  if  he  was  confined  within  four 
walls." 

"  I  am  glad  you  have  such  a  care  of  him, 
Mr.  Elliot.  I  am  sure  he  will  repay  you." 

"  I  have  been  paid  in  advance  for  all  I  can 
ever  do  for  him.  Mr.  Dorsey  was  my  friend 
when  I  was  in  the  greatest  need.  I  was  in  a 
far  more  pitiable  condition  than  when  I  came 
here.  There  and  here  I  have  received  help 
for  soul  and  body." 


COMFORTED.  9 

"  You  have  come  out  on  the  Lord's  side, 
Mr.  Elliot?" 

"  I  have,  Miss  Austen ; "  and  the  tone  in 
which  this  reply  was  made  more  than  compen- 
sated for  its  brevity. 

"  I  am  very  thankful.  I  never  feared  that 
you  would  exert  an  active  influence  against 
religion  in  this  'community ;  but  I  knew  that 
your  example  would  have  great  power.  My 
brother  lived  to  see  that  his  skepticism  was 
without  reason,  and  his  most  cherished  beliefs 
without  foundation." 

"  Thank  God  that  he  did,  and  that  I,  too, 
have  lived  to  see  the  same.  I  look  upon  the 
world  with  different  eyes  now  that  I  recognize 
God's  hand  in  all  things.  Nature  is  a  bounti- 
ful mother,  but  she  is  heartless.  But  pardon 
me,  Miss  Austen,  I  am  trespassing  upon  your 
tune,  and  forgetting  my  duty." 

"  Far  from  that,  Mr.  Elliot.  We  have  not 
yet  spoken  of  Miss  Greenleaf.  You  are  satis- 
fied with  her  as  a  teacher?  " 

"  Indeed  I  am.  She  has  accomplished  more 
since  she  came  here  than  most  teachers  would 


10  HAROLD  DOESEY'S 

accomplish  in  a  year.  I  am  constantly  won- 
dering how,  with  so  few  facilities  for  acquir- 
ing knowledge,  she  has  learned  so  much.  She 
must  have  improved  every  moment  of  time, 
and  made  the  most  of  every  advantage.  She 
might  be  an  artist;  but  she  is  only  a  plain 
working-woman,  distrustful  of  her  own  abili- 
ties, and  somewhat  timid  in  regard  to  meet- 
ing Miss  Austen." 

"  She  will  soon  forget  her  timidity." 

"  I  think  she  will,  Miss  Austen ; "  and  no 
gentleman  could  have  bowed  himself  from  the 
presence  of  a  lady  with  more  easy  grace  than 
did  Richmond  Elliot. 

Not  many  days  after  this  conversation  Alice 
Greenleaf  was  seated  at  the  old-fashioned  desk 
appropriated  to  her  use,  while  a  troop  of  chil- 
dren waited  without  that  they  might  have  the 
pleasure  of  walking  home  with  her.  She  had 
forgotten  her  surroundings,  and  was  thinking 
of  the  past,  when  Jessie  Elliot  appeared,  and 
half  whispered : 

"  Miss  Austen  is  coming.  She  is  almost 
here ;  and  I  guess  she  is  coming  to  see  you. 


COMFORTED.  11 

AVc  children  better  go.  She  will  want  you 
all  to  herself." 

Miss  Greenleaf  did  not  move  from  the  posi- 
tion she  had  occupied  until  the  door  was 
opened  and  her  name  pronounced. 

"  Miss  Austen,"  she  responded ;  and  two 
hands  were  clasped  as  these  women  looked 
each  into  the  face  of  the  other. 

That  both  found  their  previous  opinions 
somewhat  at  fault  was  not  strange ;  yet,  as 
they  conversed,  they  were  not  long  in  dis- 
covering that  they  had  many  sympathies  in 
common. 

"  I  have  heard  Jessie  Elliot  speak  of  your 
home,  and  I  know  you  must  have  regretted 
leaving  it,"  said  the  visitor,  when  they  had 
talked  a  little  of  the  school  and  its  interests. 

"  I  did ;  but  now  that  mother  is  gone  there 
is  not  so  much  to  keep  me  there.  Then  I 
have  left  some  one  in  my  cottage  who  will 
enjoy  it.  I  should  not  like  to  have  it  occu- 
pied by  strangers.  Everything  in  it  and 
about  it  has  a  history  for  me.  Every  vine 
and  tree  and  shrub  seems  like  a  friend." 


12  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"  Did  you  plant  them  all  yourself?  " 

"  With  two  exceptions,  I  did.  There  were 
two  scraggy  apple-trees  growing  in  the  lot 
when  I  bought  it.  They  were  all,  except 
such  bushes  as  usually  grow  in  a  neglected 
pasture.  The  house  was  unfinished,  so  that 
I  had  the  pleasure  of  finishing  it  to  suit  my 
own  taste ;  and  some  of  the  work  I  did  with 
my  own  hands.  I  could  not  afford  to  hire  it 
done." 

"  But  how  could  you  do  it  yourself?  I 
never  saw  a  woman  do  such  work." 

"  It  is  no  harder  than  much  of  the  work 
women  do.  If  I  wanted  a  shelf  or  a  stand, 
I  made  it,  and  I  learned  to  use  tools  quite 
handily." 

"  That  is  an  accomplishment  it  will  be 
hardly  necessary  for  you  to  use  here." 

"  I  presume  not,  Miss  Austen,  but  I  was 
very  anxious  to  have  a  pleasant,  attractive 
home  ;  and,  in  order  to  have  it,  I  was  obliged 
to  make  the  most  of  everything  I  could  com- 
mand." 

"  Pleasant,  attractive  homes  are  the  great 


COMFORTED.  13 

need  of  the  world,  and  they  can  be  secured 
with  less  money  than  most  people  count  nec- 
essary." 

"  Certainly  they  can,  Miss  Austen.  I  wish, 
sometimes,  I  could  get  together  a  few  of  the 
people  who  think,  because  they  are  poor, 
they  can  have  nothing  pretty.  I  should  like 
to  tell  them  my  experience.  I  have  done 
some  things  my  neighbors  thought  extrava- 
gant ;  yet  those  very  things  repaid  me  four- 
fold. If  I  bought  a  book,  I  was  usually 
obliged  to  save  the  price  from  some  article 
of  dress,  or  do  some  extra  piece  of  work 
after  my  regular  working-hours.  But  I  am 
talking  too  much  of  myself.  I  forgot  that 
you  are  almost  a  stranger,  and  that  you  have 
lived  very  differently  from  the  way  in  whicL 
I  have  lived." 

"I  had  forgotten  it  myself,"  replied  the 
visitor  frankly.  "  I  have  been  interested  in 
all  you  have  told  me,  and  I  shall  consider  it 
a  personal  favor  if  you  will  give  our  people 
the  benefit  of  your  experience.  I  have  been 
differently  situated  from  you,  but  I  have  de- 


14  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

pended  much  upon  myself,  and  can,  there- 
fore, sympathize  with  you." 

In  their  mutual  forgctfulness  the  conversa- 
tion was  continued  until  a  glance  at  her  watch 
reminded  Miss  Greenleaf  that  she  would  be 
expected  at  her  boarding  place,  when  they 
started  homeward. 

"  If  birds  would  but  stay  their  flight  that 
we  might  study  them,  how  much  we  should 
gain,"  she  said,  as  they  caught  the  flash  of  an 
oriole's  plumage. 

"  We  must  take  them  on  the  wing,  as  we 
take  the  golden  opportunities  of  our  lives," 
responded  Miss  Austen.  "  It  seemed  to  be 
my  opportunity  when  I  decided  to  start  up 
the  mill  here." 

"  And  mine  when  the  school  was  offered  to 
me." 

"I  trust  it  will  prove  so,  Miss  Greenleaf; 
and  that  you  will  feel  at  home  with  us.  There 
is  so  much  to  be  done  here  we  need  all  the 
help  we  can  obtain.  You  have  seen  Harold 
Dorsey?" 

"  Several  times." 


COMFORTED.  15 

"  And  I  know  you  must  be  interested  in 
him." 

"More  than  in  any  other  person  I  have 
ever  seen.  I  had  a  long  talk  with  him 
one  evening  when  he  was  going  home  from 
his  work.  I  had  been  in  the  woods  alone, 
and  I  asked  him  the  name  of  a  vine  I  had  in 
my  hand.  It  was  new  to  me,  but  he  said  it 
was  very  common  where  he  used  to  live.  He 
has  a  well-trained  eye." 

"  And  a  generous,  loving  heart.  I  hope 
you  will  cultivate  his  acquaintance.  He  has 
not  had  many  to  care  for  him.  There  is 
Norah  Borine  too.  She  is  another  who 
needs  the  influence  of  judicious  friends.  "We 
must  all  work  together  here.  You  will  al- 
ways be  a  welcome  guest  at  my  house,  and 
you  can  count  upon  my  friendship.  Now,  I 
will  not  detain  you  longer.  Good-evening." 

Harold  Dorsey  was  at  work  where  he  saw 
the  two  as  they  separated ;  and  a  glimpse  of 
his  earnest  face  reminded  Miss  Greenlcaf  of 
the  interview  to  which  reference  has  been 
made.  He  had  been  shy  at  first,  speaking 


16     HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

only  in  reply  to  direct  questions  ;  but,  after  a 
little  while,  his  reserve  vanished,  and  he 
talked  freely  of  his  old  life. 

"  It  wasn't  like  anything  you  can  know," 
he  said  seriously.  "  I  don't  think  anybody 
else  ever  lived  so.  I  didn't  care  as  much  for 
flowers  and  plants  and  trees  as  I  did  for  the 
living  things ;  but  sometimes,  when  T  was 
tired  and  lonesome,  I  would  lay  my  head 
down  among  them  and  cry,  because  I  wanted 
somebody  to  comfort  me." 

"  And  were  you  comforted  ? "  asked  his 
companion. 

"  Sometimes ;  and  sometimes  I  felt  all  the 
worse.  When  I  could  hear  the  growing 
sound  it  seemed  as  though  I  had  company." 

"  What  is  the  growing  sound?  " 

"I  can't  describe  it  exactly ;  but  when  every- 
thing  is  growing,  if  you  put  your  ear  down 
to  the  ground,  you  can  hear  a  low  humming. 
It  is  very  low,  and  very  soft,  but  it  is  plain 
as  can  be.  I  asked  grandsir  about  it,  but  he 
didn't  explain  it  to  me.  I  think  I  shall  know 
sometime." 


COMFORTED.  17 

"  We  all  have  much  to  learn." 

"Yes,  ma'am ;  I  have  a  great  deal  to  learn, 
and  this  is  just  the  place  to  learn  it.  There 
are  Miss  Austen,  and  Mr.  Stuart,  and  Mr. 
Elliot,  and  you,  and  all  the  people  about 
here.  Every  one  knows  more  than  I  do.  I 
have  nobody  else." 

"  I  am  all  alone,  too,  Harold.  My  mother 
died  a  few  weeks  ago." 

"  But  you  had  her  once,  Miss  Greenleaf, 
and  I  never  had  any  mother  at  all.  I  never 
belonged  to  anybody  but  grandsir,  and  he 
never  said  he  loved  me." 

"  Did  you  always  live  with  him  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  so  ;  'though  when  I  go  into  the 
great  house  it  seems  as  if  I  had  seen  one  like 
it  before,  with  pictures  and  carpets.  Likely 
I  dreamed  about  it." 

"Did  you  go  to  school?" 

"  Not  much.  Grandsir  taught  me  himself, 
and  I  read  everything  I  could  get.  That  was 
not  much,  but  I  am  reading  now." 

"  And  you  are  happy  here  ?  " 

"  Yes,  ma'am ;  everybody  is  happy  here, 
2 


18  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

and  I  have  a  good  home.  I  liked  the  woods, 
but  I  grew  tired  of  wanting  to  know  what  I 
couldn't  find  out.  There  was  an  old  man  came 
'round  once  in  a  while  gathering  roots  and 
herbs,  and  I  used  to  go  with  him,  so  I  learned 
some  of  their  names.  I  got  some,  too,  for 
myself,  and  grandsir  sold  them." 

"  Then  you  could  earn  your  living  in  the 
woods." 

"  Yes,  ma'am ;  but  it  is  not  always  pleas- 
ant. There  is  hard  work,  and  sometimes 
rain  and  snow  and  cold.  But  now  everything 
is  coming  to  new  life,  just  as  I  am  since  I 
read  the  Bible." 

"Then  this  is  your  spring-time,  and  soon 
it  will  be  summer.  Then  comes  autumn  and 
winter." 

"  And  after  that,  Miss  Greenleaf  ?  " 

"  A  glorious  resurrection  for  those  who 
have  done  their  work  well  here  on  earth." 

These  words  came  back  to  Harold  again 
and  again  as  he  applied  himself  to  the  tasks 
before  him.  Each  day  some  duty  confronted 
him,  and  each  day  he  strove  to  do  his  best. 


COMFORTED.  19 

The  arrival  of  Mason  Stuart  was  a  marked 
event  which,  as  yet,  he  hardly  appreci- 
ated. They  had  exchanged  greetings,  and 
the  visitor  had  given  him  some  slight  assist- 
ance in  his  work,  but  it  was  not  according  to 
his  custom  to  spend  his  employer's  time  in 
talking.  For  this  reason  Mason  thought  him 
unsocial,  complaining  that  "  he  wouldn't  say 
anything,  only  what  he  couldn't  help." 

"  You  must  wait  until  you  find  Harold  at 
leisure  before  you  make  up  your  mind  in  re- 
gard to  him,"  said  Miss  Austen,  who  was  sure 
to  hear  a  report  of  her  nephew's  opinions. 

"  I  don't  see  why  that  need  make  any  dif- 
ference about  his  talking,"  was  replied.  "  I 
can  work  just  as  fast  when  I  am  talking. 
Rufe  and  I  keep  our  tongues  running  all  the 
time  when  we  are  working  together.  I  guess, 
though,  it  does  take  considerable  wind,  and 
perhaps  Harold  isn't  used  to  it.  Anyway, 
there  must  be  more  to  him  than  there  is  to 
most  fellows.  But,  Margie,  I' have  been  dis- 
appointed since  I  came  here.  There  is  Harold, 
and  then  there  is  Norah.  I  offered  to  carry  a 


20       HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

pail  of  water  for  her  this  morning,  qnd  I  spoke 
as  politely  as  I  know  how,  but  she  didn't  an- 
swer me  a  word.  She  snatched  up  the  pail 
and  hurried  off  as  if  she  was  angry.  I 
thought  at  first  I  never  would  speak  to  her 
again,  but  I  have  changed  my  mind.  I  shall 
talk  to  her,  and  I  shall  carry  water  for  her. 
It  isn't  natural  for  a  girl  to  act  so,  and  she 
must  learn  better.  She  is  as  different  as 
can  be  from  Jessie  Elliot,  but  I  mean  to  be 
good  friends  with  both  of  them." 

"You  have  my  best  wishes  for  your  suc- 
cess." 

"  Then  I  am  all  right.  I  had  a  peep  into 
Mr.  Elliot's  cottage  to-day.  I  was  going  by 
and  he  spoke  to  me.  Ed  was  with  me.  How 
everybody  looks  up  to  Ed,  auntie.  I  don't 
believe  I  shall  ever  get  quite  used  to  it.  He 
takes  right  hold  of  work  too.  I  never  ex- 
pected it  of  him.  I  have  been  glad  every 
minute  to-day  that  we  lost  that  ten  thousand 
dollars.  This  is  a  grand  place,  and  to-mor- 
row, if  you  are  willing,  I  will  put  on  some 
of  my  patched  clothes,  and  help  Robert  about 


COMFORTED.  21 

his  work,  so  he  can  take  a  tramp  with  me  in 
the  afternoon." 

"  I  am  perfectly  willing,  but  I  had  planned 
an  excursion  for  the  afternoon,  and  intended 
to  invite  you  and  Robert  to  go  with  me." 

Jessie  and  Norah  Borine  were  included  in 
this  invitation,  and  the  latter  was  especially 
delighted.  Of  course  she  would  go,  and  she 
made  all  possible  haste  with  her  work.  A  lit- 
tle before  noon  she  found  time  to  look  in  upon 
Jessie,  and  express  her  pleasure. 

"  We  shall  have  the  rarest  time,"  she  ex- 
claimed joyously. 

"  Of  course  we  shall,"  was  replied.  "There 
will  be  six  of  us,  so  we  can't  help  having  a 
good  time.  I  wish  Harold  was  going  too." 

"  Six  !     Are  those  boys  going  ?  " 

"  Yes.  Miss  Austen  wouldn't  go  without 
Mason,  and  of  course  Robert  would  want  to 
go." 

"  Then  I  won't  go  a  step.  I  don't  like 
boys.  They  arc  always  in  the  way,  wanting 
girls  to  give  up  to  them.  They  needn't  come 
where  I  am.  I  can  carry  all  the  water  I 


22  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

want,  and  this  afternoon  I  shall  go  to  the 
woods  alone." 

"  O  Norah,  I  shouldn't  think  you  would 
do  so.  You  won't  like  it  half  as  well  as  go- 
ing with  us ;  and  I  don't  think  it  would  be 
polite  to  Miss  Austen,  after  she  asked  you." 

"  I  can't  help  it.     I  won't  go  with  boys." 

Saying  this  in  a  sharp,  peremptory  tone, 
Norah  sprang  through  the  open  door,  with- 
out pausing  to  look  back.  A  horse  was  rush- 
ing furiously  down  the  street,  and  frightened 
by  the  unexpected  danger,  she  ran  blindly  into 
his  very  path.  Had  not  some  one  interposed 
to  save  her  she  must  have  been  seriously,  if 
not  fatally,  injured.  As  it  was,  Edward 
Stuart  saw  the  situation,  and  hastened  to  her 
rescue.  Harold  Dorsey  arrested  the  progress 
of  the  frightened  animal,  and  before  the  dan- 
ger was  really  comprehended  it  no  longer  ex- 
isted. 

Norah  was  unhurt,  but  she  lay  helpless  in 
the  arms  of  her  preserver,  who  carried 
her  home  and  laid  her  upon  the  homely 
lounge,  which  was  the  one  article  of  luxury 


COMFORTED.  23 

this  home  could  boast.  Here  she  opened  her 
eyes,  and  after  looking  around  for  a  moment 
covered  her  face  with  her  hands  and  wept 
convulsively. 

Mrs.  Borine  came  soon,  and  having  heard 
exaggerated  reports  of  the  affair,  needed  to  be 
soothed  and  comforted  before  she  could  do 
anything  for  her  child. 

"  And  to  think  it  was  Mr.  Stuart  saved  my 
Norah  !  "  she  cried.  "  Whatever  could  I  do 
without  her?  Oh,  Miss  Greenlcaf,  you  don't 
know  ;  "  and  she  rocked  to  and  fro  in  the  vain 
attempt  to  express  the  emotions  of  her  heart. 

"  There  is  One  who  knows  all  about  it,  and 
who  has  you  in  his  keeping,"  was  replied. 
"  You  are  indebted  to  Mr.  Stuart,  but  not  to 
him  alone." 

"  Who  else  ?  "  asked  Norah  wonderingly. 

"Your  Heavenly  Father,  who  always 
watches  over  you." 

"  I  know,  Miss  Greenleaf.  I  am  sorry  I 
have  made  so  much  trouble.  I  don't  see 
what  made  me  run  the  wrong  way." 

At    this    Mrs.    Borine    knelt    beside    the 


24          HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

lounge,  and  clasping  her  child  in  a  close 
embrace,  allowed  her  tears  to  flow  freely. 
When  she  raised  her  head  they  were  alone. 
Directly,  however,  Jessie  came  in,  all  the 
more  anxious  and  eager  from  having  so 
long  restrained  herself. 

"I  thought  I  had  better  wait,"  she  said. 
"  Mr.  Stuart  told  me.  Isn't  he  good?  " 

"  The  very  best  of  anybody  ;  the  very  best," 
answered  Norah.  "He  might  have  been 
killed,  and  I  not  worth  a  hundredth  of  him." 

"But  he  isn't  hurt  a  bit,  nor  you  either, 
and  everybody  is  so  glad.  Now,  I  will  stay 
at  home  with  you  this  afternoon." 

"But  I  am  going,"  was  the  quick  reply.  "I 
have  changed  my  mind,  and  I  want  to  go. 
Miss  Greenleaf  says  I  can,  and  I  wouldn't 
miss  it  for  anything." 


AN   AFTERNOON   EXCURSION.  25 


CHAPTER  H. 

AN   AFTERNOON   EXCURSION. 

THE  afternoon  was  all  which  had  been 
anticipated.  The  excursionists  revelled 
in  sights  and  sounds,  not  all  have  eyes  to  see 
or  ears  to  hear.  Every  flower  had  a  beauty 
of  its  own ;  while  every  whistle  or  song  of 
bird  touched  some  echoing  chord  in  the  hearts 
of  those  who  listened. 

Norah  Borine  was  thinking  so  earnestly  that 
she  would  not  have  spoken  even  if  alone  with 
Jessie  Elliot.  She  enjoyed  all  which  the 
others  enjoyed,  and  yet  there  was  an  under- 
current of  thought  and  feeling  having  no  ref- 
erence to  what  was  around  her.  She  wan- 
dered away  by  herself,  and  sat  down  upon  a 
stone  covered  with  gray  lichens.  There  were 
flowers  within  reach  of  her  hand,  but  she  did 
not  pluck  them.  The  sound  of  voices  became 


26  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

less  ana  less  distinct.  She  looked  up  to  the 
blue  sky  as  if  she  would  pierce  its  mysteries. 
Miss  Greenleaf  had  told  her  that  she  was  in- 
debted to  God  for  the  preservation  of  her  life. 
She  could  not  go  beyond  that  simple  state- 
ment. She  could  not  reason  concerning  it. 

"  O  Norah,  I  have  wondered  ever  so 
much  where  you  could  be,"  said  Jessie,  com- 
ing up  to  her.  We  children  are  going  over 
to  the  back  side  of  the  lot.  Will  you  go  with 
us,  or  are  you  too  tired?  " 

"  I  aint  tired.     I  want  to  go." 

ft  Then  come  right  along.  How  many 
things  there  are  to  see,  and  how  long  it 
would  take  to  count  them  all !  " 

"  There  are  too  many  to  count.  Nobody 
can  ever  know  how  many  there  are." 

"Nobody  in  the  world,"  suggested  Jessie. 

"  There  aint,  anybody  else." 

«  There  is  God.  You  didn't  think  of  Him. 
His  home  is  in  Heaven,  but  He  is  in  the 
world  all  the  same.  He  knows  exactly  how 
many  things  there  are,  and  just  where  they 
grow.  He  knows  how  many  blades  of  grass 


AN    AFTERNOON    EXCURSION.  27 

there  are  in  all  the  fields,  and  how  many 
grains  of  sand  there  are  on  the  sea-shore. 

c 

Father  says,  now  he  has  begun  to  think 
about  it,  it  seems  to  him  the  strangest  that 
God  should  know  about  the  little  things." 

"  I  don't  believe  it.  It  aint  likely  God 
would  care  for  such  things,"  exclaimed  Norah 
in  an  indignant  tone. 

"  How  can  you  say  so,"  replied  Jessie. 
"  The  Bible  says  the  very  hairs  of  your  head 
are  all  numbered,  and  not  a  sparrow  falls  to 
the  ground  without  his  notice." 

"  AVho  says  so  ?     How  do  you  know  ?  " 

"  The  Bible  says  so.  I  read  it  there.  Didn't 
you  ever  read  it  ?  " 

"  No,  I  never  did." 

"  I  will  show  it  to  you  sometime.  It  is 
easy  to  think  that  God  made  the  ocean,  and 
the  rivers,  and  the  mountains,  but  I  don't 
wonder  it  seems  strange  to  you  about  the 
blades  of  grass  and  grains  of  sand,  if  you 
never  thought  of  it  before." 

"  I  never  did  think  of  it.  How  could  I, 
when  I  didn't  know  anything  about  it?  Is  it 


20  HAROLD   DORSET  S   FORTUNE. 

the  same  God  Miss  Greenleaf  said  took  care 
of  me  this  morning  ?  " 

"  There  isn't  but  one  God,"  answered  Jes- 
sie. "  He  is  so  great,  and  wise,  and  strong, 
there  couldn't  be  another." 

"  He  is  a  great  ways  off." 

"  No,  Norah ;  that  is  another  strange  thing 
about  Him.  He  is  everywhere  at  the  same 
time.  He  is  right  beside  you  this  minute, 
and  he  knows  just  what  you  are  thinking." 

A  startled  look  in  the  child's  face  revealed 
her  astonishment  as  she  glanced  around,  and 
then,  without  speaking,  walked  rapidly  for- 
ward. 

Miss  Austen  and  Miss  Greenleaf  improved 
the  time,  when  the  younger  members  of  the 
party  were  absent,  to  talk  of  personal  matters. 
They  were  to  work  together  for  the  general 
good,  and  in  order  to  do  this  to  the  best  ad- 
vantage some  consultation  was  necessary. 

"  Our  people  are  kind  and  ordinarily  intel- 
ligent, yet  many  of  them  need  to  learn  that 
there  is  something  required  in  life  beyond 
providing  for  the  wants  of  the  body,"  said 


AN   AFTERNOON   EXCURSION.  2\) 

Miss  Austen  at  length.  "This  must  be 
done.  There  is  no  avoiding  it,  but  it  should 
not  be  allowed  to  absorb  the  whole  of  life. 
The  homeliest  w^ork  may  be  glorified,  and 
there  may  be  something  of  refinement  in  the 
humblest  home." 

"  I  know  that  is  true,"  replied  Miss  Green- 
leaf.  "  I  think,  too,  there  are  a  great  many 
people  struggling  after  some  refinement,  and 
dissatisfied  without  it,  when  they  hardly 
know  why  they  are  troubled." 

"  I  have  seen  such  people ;  and  it  would 
take  so  little  to  make  them  happy,  it  seems 
almost  wicked  not  to  give  them  that  little.  I 
have  seen  a  poor  woman  made  rich  by  the  pos- 
session of  a  geranium  growing  in  a  cracked 
sugar-bowl.  She  said  it  was  company  for 
her;  and  so  it  was,  because  it  responded 
to  a  want  of  her  nature.  One  can  exist  in  a 
room  with  four  bare  walls,  but  I  should  pity 
the  person  who  desired  nothing  better.  The 
asparagus  and  peacock's  feathers  I  have  so 
often  seen  adorning  a  plain  little  mirror  al- 
ways appeal  to  my  sympathy.  Something 


30  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

better  could  be  done  by  the  hands  that  ar- 
ranged them  if  those  hands  had  been  trained 
to  do  the  bidding  of  a  cultivated  taste.'' 

"  I  never  thought  of  asparagus  and  peacock's 
feathers  in  that  way,  Miss  Austen,  but  I  re- 
member when  I  was  very  ambitious  to  pos- 
sess both." 

"  And  you  achieved  that  ambition  long 
ago." 

"  Oh,  yes ;  and  for  a  time  1  greatly  en- 
joyed my  good  fortune.  It  is  easy  to  attain 
some  well  defined  purpose,  but  Avhen  the 
mind  is  reaching  on  and  on  into  limitless 
space,  one  is  liable  to  be  discouraged." 

"Yet  this  reaching  on  and  on  is  our 
greatest  encouragement.  When  we  have 
reached  our  ideal  there  will  be  no  more  for 
us." 

"I  shall  never  attain  to  mine.  When  I 
was  a  child  I  was  always  wondering  about 
things  no  one  explained  to  me,  and  I  am 
wondering  still  about  manv  of  them.  You 

O  »-  • 

must  have  had  a  great  deal  of  help,  Miss 
Austen." 


AN   AFTERNOON   EXCURSION.  81 

"  I  have,  and  now  I  wish  to  help  others. 
There  are  Norah  Borine,  and  her  mother  and 
grandmother.  I  long  to  do  something  for 
them.  They  are  quite  by  themselves,  which 
makes  it  difficult  to  reach  them ;  but  happily 
the  hearts  of  the  three  are  centered  in  one. 
Xorah  represents  the  entire  family ;  so  that 
whoever  can  influence  her  can  influence  all." 

"  She  will  repay  a  large  outlay  of  effort. 
She  is  an  uncommon  child,  with  uncommon 
talents.  Jessie  is  quick  to  learn,  and  she  has 
fine  tastes ;  but,  with  a  little  assistance, 
Xorah  will  make  a  path  for  herself,  and  out 
of  the  beaten  track  too.  She  will  never  be 
a  common  working-wroman  like  her  mother." 

"  I  hope  not ;  and  I  hope  she  will  not  be  a 
Catholic  like  her  mother.  I  believe  in  the 
largest  freedom  of  conscience  and  the  utmost 
toleration,  but  Norah  needs  a  different  re- 
ligion from  that  of  forms  and  ceremonies. 
The  religion  of  Christ  wrould  transform  her. 
When  she  first  came  here  she  acted  as  if  she 
felt  that  every  hand  was  against  her,  and  I 


32  HAEOLD  DORSET'S  FOETUXE. 

feared  it  would  require  a  long  time  to  win 
her  confidence." 

"  I  can  always  win  the  children ;  and  then, 
you  know,  Miss  Austen,  that  but  for  my  bit 
of  a  cottage  and  the  lot  around  it,  I  am  as 
poor  in  worldly  goods  as  Mrs.  Borine,  and  she 
knows  it.  I  am  as  used  to  patching  and  darn- 
ing as  she  is." 

"  But  it  is  done  more  neatly,  and  therein  is 
the  difference.  In  this,  as  in  everything  else, 
Nature  gives  us  a  perfect  example.  She  never 
does  her  work  clumsily,  or  roughly.  Often 
she  covers  the  most  unsightly  places  with  so 
beautiful  a  screen  as  to  make  them  lovely. 
When  she  patches,  she  does  it  artistically. 
A  decaying  tree,  after  a  time,  is  covered 
with  such  a  luxuriant  growth  of  mosses  and 
vines  that  we  forget  to  be  sorry  it  has  fallen. 
So,  I  suppose,  people  might  beautify  their 
homes,  until  an  observer  would  forget  the 
absence  of  paint  and  plaster." 

"  That  reminds  me  of  the  first  English  ivy 
I  ever  saw.  It  was  in  a  very  poor  house, 
but  it  climbed  the  wall  and  crept  along  the 


AN   AFTERNOON   EXCURSION.  33 

rafters  as  freely  as  if  it  was  growing  out  of 
doors.  The  people  of  the  house  told  me  they 
never  trained  it  at  all.  They  let  it  grow  its 
own  way,  only  taking  care  that  it  had  plenty 
of  water  and  did  not  freeze.  They  brought 
it  from  England,  so  it  seemed  to  them  like  a 
bit  of  the  old  home,  and  kept  their  hearts 
warm." 

"  Then  it  performed  a  ministiy  of  love. 
Anything  which  keeps  our  hearts  warm  is  a 
positive  blessing ;  and  those  who  earn  their 
daily  bread  by  hard  hand-labor  especially 
need  this  blessing.  I  wish  to  give  our  peo- 
ple a  sense  of  this  need,  and  then  help  them 
to  satisfy  it." 

Here  the  conversation  was  interrupted,  and 
after  some  delay  in  starting,  the  party  turned 
their  faces  homeward,  carrying  with  them 
fragrant  spoils  and  pleasant  memories  which 
more  than  compensated  them  for  their  fatigue. 

"It  is  good  to  be  here,"  remarked  Miss 
Austen,  that  evening,  to  Edward  Stuart, 
with  whom  she  had  been  reviewing  the 
events  of  the  day,  and  making  preparations 


34  HAKOLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

for  Sabbath  duties.  "  I  would  not  have  be- 
lieved any  place,  except  the  old  house,  could 
seem  so  much  like  home  to  me.  I  wonder  if 
you  are  really  sure  of  your  own  identity." 

"  I  sometimes  half  doubt  it.  I  know  I 
have  gained  immensely.  As  Mason  says,  I 
didn't  know  there  was  so  much  in  me.  But 
no  other  one  among  us  has  changed  as  has 
Mr.  Elliot.  "We  shall  lose  him  before  many 
years.  Somebody  will  want  him  in  a  more 
responsible  position,  and  bid  high  for  him. 
He  and  Harold  Dorsey  will  soon  outgrow  us." 

"  Let  them,  and  we  will  bid  them  God 
speed  if  they  leave  us.  I  am  anxious  to 
hear  Mr.  Elliot  in  our  meetings." 

"  You  will  have  the  privilege.  He  is  to 
take  charge  of  the  meeting  to-morrow  even- 
ing, and  he  told  me  he  should  attend  church 
through  the  day.  Mr.  Gleason  is  greatly 
encouraged.  He  said,  yesterday,  that  our 
Thursday-evening  meetings  had  done  more 
to  set  people  to  thinking  about  God  than  all 
the  positively  religious  talk  they  had  heard 
in  twenty  years.  '  In  some  way,'  said  he, 


AN   AFTERNOON   EXCURSION.  35 

'  everything  was  traced  back  to  the  divine 
Creator.' " 

"  That  is  as  it  should  be ;  and  as  soon  as 
the  evenings  are  longer  we  will  resume  our 
Thursday  meetings.  There  are  not  many, 
however,  who  can  be  moved  as  Mr.  Elliot 
and  Harold." 

"  The  wonder  is  that  two  like  them  could 
be  found  in  so  small  a  place  as  this.  Few 
have  their  capacity,  and  fewer  still  have  the 
sensibility  possessed  by  Harold.  He  is  re- 
markable in -every  way." 

How  heartily  Mrs.  Peavey  would  have  en- 
dorsed this  sentiment !  Such  a  good,  trusty 
boy  as  he  was  ;  and  yet  she  knew  he  was  for 
more  than  this,  although  he  interested  himself 
in  the  humblest  details  of  their  home  life ; 
never  so  tired  or  so  much  engrossed  in  study 
as  to  be  unmindful  of  her  comfort. 

On  Saturday  evening,  when  returning  from 
his  work,  he  stopped  for  some  roots  this 
friend  had  desired,  and  while  looking  for 
them  found  a  rare  flower  he  wished  he  could 
irive  to  Miss  Grecnleaf. 


36       HAROLD  DORSEY'S  FORTUNE. 

"  Carry  it  to  her  to-morrow,"  said  Mr. 
Peavey.  "  Put  it  in  water,  and  it  will  keep 
fresh." 

'"  I  know  it  Avill ;  but  I  was  not  sure  it 
would  be  right  to  carry  it,"  replied  Harold. 

"  Just  as  right  as  it  is  to  carry  pinks  and 
caraway  to  meeting,"  responded  the  old  man, 
as  he  glanced  at  his  wife  with  a  smile. 

"  That  is  right,"  she  said,  returning  the 
smile.  "  My  grandmother  and  my  mother 
always  carried  pinks  and  caraway,  and  they 
were  good  women.  We  mean  to  keep  Sun- 
day as  near  right  as  we  can,  Harold,  and  I'm 
sure  it  will  be  all  right  for  you  to  carry  the 
flower  to  Miss  Greenleaf." 

Alice  Greenleaf  was  in  her  room,  burdened 
with  a  sense  of  loneliness,  and  longing  for 
a  sight  of  the  brown  cottage  where  she  had 
spent  so  many  busy,  happy  years.  Looking 
back,  her  life  seemed  long,  as  if  she  had 
already  passed  its  meridian.  Nothing  had 
occurred  to  induce  this  despondency,  and 
yet  she  was  seldom  so  depressed. 

"  I  must  forget  myself,"   she    said,    half 


AN   AFTERNOON   EXCURSION.  37 

aloud,  and  presently  there  came  an  oppor- 
tunity for  doing  this  in  a  way  she  had  not 
expected. 

Her  reception  of  Harold  Dorsey  was  most 
cordial,  and  her  admiration  for  the  flower  he 
placed  in  her  hand  more  than  repaid  him  for 
the  effort  he  had  made  to  conquer  his  em- 
harrassment,  at  what  seemed  to  him  at  the 
last  moment  absolute  presumption.  If  Mrs. 
Wilder  had  not  called  to  him  he  would  have 
retreated,  even  after  he  had  reached  the  door. 

"  I  was  feeling  very  lonely,  and  I  am  very 
glad  you  thought  to  come  to  me,"  said  his 
hostess.  "There  is  always  something  good 
coming  to  us,  but  our  want  of  faith  for  the 
future  makes  us  unhappy.  We  ought  never 
to  be  discouraged." 

"  That  is  what  Mr.  Peavey  says,  and  he 
must  know,"  was  replied. 

"I  presume  he  does.  He  has  lived  to  be 
old,  and  his  faith  must  sometimes  have  been 
sorely  tried." 

"  He  says  there  are  dark  days  for  every- 
body ;  but  I  am  not  looking  for  them  now.  I 


38  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

have  been  thinking  all  day  of  what  Mr.  Elliot 
is  going  to  read  at  the  meeting  this  evening. 
I  learned  it  early  this  morning." 

"  What  is  it,  please  ?  Are  you  willing  to 
repeat  it  to  me  ?  " 

:t  Yes,  ma'am  ;  I  would  like  to.  The  verses 
are  in  the  sixth  chapter  of  Matthew.  They 
begin  at  the  twenty-fourth  verse,  and  go 
through  the  chapter." 

In  a  clear,  distinct  tone  he  recited  this 
Bible  lesson,  so  plain  in  its  teachings,  so 
beautiful  in  its  illustrations,  and  so  conclu- 
sive in  its  arguments.  If  God  so  watches 
over  the  fowls  of  the  air,  and  clothes  the 
earth  with  verdure,  His  care  must  surely  ex- 
tend to  us  who  have  souls  of  infinite  value. 

"  We  must  not  forget  that.  It  was  just 
what  I  needed  to  hear,"  remarked  his  com- 
panion, when  the  last  word  had  been  uttered. 

"  But  you  must  have  known  it  long  ago." 

"  I  knew  it  long  ago,  but  I  arn  sometimes 
in  danger  of  forgetting  it." 

"  I  wish  I  had  known  it  long  ago.     But  I 


AN   AFTERNOON   EXCURSION.  39 

never  read  it  until  lust  winter,  the  day  I  was 
sixteen  years  old." 

To  the  surprise  expressed  at  this,  Harold 
Dorsey  responded  by  telling  of  the  promise 
made  to  "  grandsir,"  which  he  had  so  relig- 
iously kept. 

w  It  was  very  strange,"  said  Miss  Greenleaf. 

" It  is  all  strange  about  me.  /don't  know, 
but  God  does.  I  am  glad  he  knows.  That 
is  what  comforts  me.  I  was  wondering  what 
the  lilies  were  like  this  morning.  They 
grew  in  the  fields." 

"  Yes ;  and  they  were  of  various  colors. 
You  must  have  seen  lilies  ?  " 

"  Yes,  ma'am  ;  but  they  were  mostly  in  the 
water.  I  think  they  are  the  handsomest.  God 
made  them  all." 

"  Every  one." 

"  And  the  grass  too.  I  never  thought 
much  about  the  grass,  but  I  shall  look  at  it 
close  now." 

"It  will  pay  for  close  looking,  and  best 
when  it  is  in  blossom." 

"Does  it  blossom?" 


40  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"  Certainly.  If  not,  how  could  there  be 
grass  seed  ?  " 

"I  never  thought;  but,  of  course,  there 
must  be  flowers.  How  much  there  is  to 
learn  !  And  the  Bible  at  the  foundation  of  it 
all !  It  tells  about  so  many  things  besides  the 
way  we  ought  to  live,  and  love  God.  I  used 
to  think  it  didn't  tell  about  anything  else. 
Mr.  Elliot  says  it's  the  grandest  book  in  the 
world,  when  you  read  it  with  the  right  spirit. 
He  will  talk  well  to-night.  He  always  does, 
and  I  love  to  hear  him." 

It  was  a  peculiarity  with  Harold  that  when 
he  became  interested  in  conversation  he  talked 
with  great  freedom,  seemingly  unconscious  of 
any  disparity  between  himself  and  his  com- 
panion. So  now  he  was  only  anxious  to  re- 
receive  the  instruction  and  sympathy  of  which 
his  quick  intuition  assured  him.  He  might 
even  have  forgotten  that  he  intended  going 
elsewhere  had  not  another  reminded  him  of 
this. 

Only  after  much  solicitation  had  Mr.  Elliot 
consented  to  lead  the  meeting  that  Sabbath 


AN    AFTERNOON   EXCURSION.  41 

evening,  and  it  was  only  after  earnest  prayer 
for  guidance,  and  a  careful  study  of  the  pas- 
sage to  be  read,  that  he  entered  the  hall.  The 
attendance  was  large.  People  were  anxious 
to  see  and  hear  the  man  who  sat  so  long  with 
bowed  head,  they  feared  they  were  to  be  dis- 
appointed. 

At  length  he  arose,  designated  a  hyrnn,  and 
began  to  sing.  Both  hymn  and  tune  were  fa- 
miliar, so  that  all  joined  in  the  service  of 
song.  Then  was  offered  a  prayer,  short,  sim- 
ple, and  fervent.  The  scripture  lesson  was 
next  read,  reverently,  as  one  reads  a  message 
from  some  dear  friend  who  has  passed  within 
the  veil. 

Mindful  of  the  younger  members  of  the 
audience,  he  talked  at  some  length  of  the 
fowls  of  the  air  and  the  lilies  of  the  field ; 
mingling  something  of  natural  science  with 
the  most  sacred  religious  truth.  Last,  and 
greatest,  he  repeated  Christ's  assertion :  "  Ye 
cannot  serve  God  and  mammon." 

"  Our  Saviour's  words  ;  and  better  than  all 
who  have  since  lived,  lie  knew  whereof  he 


42       HAROLD  DORSE Y'S  FORTUNE. 

affirmed.  He  knows  all  things,  and  needs 
not  that  any  should  tell  Him.  He  sees  our 
hearts.  He  knows  our  most  secret  thoughts. 
We  may  deceive  others,  but  He  is  never  de- 
ceived. He  has  seen  myriads  of  human 
beings  grasping  the  world  with  one  hand 
while  extending  the  other  for  blessings  God 
has  promised  to  those  who  love  and  obey 
Him. 

"  I  never  attempted  this ;  not  because  I 
was  too  sincere  and  conscientious,  but  be- 
cause I  was  so  wilfully  blind  and  sinful.  No 
other  here  has  wandered  so  far  from  the  right 
path  as  I ;  no  other  has  so  much  to  be  for- 
given ;  but,  thanks  be  to  God,  the  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ  cleanseth  from  all  sin. 

"  I  have  scoffed  at  this  blessed  truth.  I 
have  despised  the  Bible.  I  have  been  rec- 
reant to  the  most  sacred  obligations.  But 
now  I  feel  and  know  that  the  dear  old  Bible 
is  true,  and  that  the  religion  it  teaches  is  the 
only  hope  of  the  world.  I  am  not  worthy  to 
speak  of  these  holy  things  in  your  presence, 
yet  I  must  give  my  testimony  to  the  truth ; 


AN   AFTERNOON   EXCURSION.  43 

and  God  grant  we  may  all  so  live,  that  at 
last  we  shall  stand  before  His  throne  justified 
and  sanctified  through  Him  who  gave  His 
life  a  ransom  for  many." 

The  speaker  resumed  his  seat,  and  again 
bowed  his  head,  when,  to  relieve  the  intensity 
of  feeling  by  some  general  expression,  Ed- 
ward Stuart  began  a  song  of  praise.  For  a 
little  time  the  richest,  fullest  voice  was  missed ; 
and  then  it  helped  to  swell  the  melody, 
which,  like  a  glad  outpouring  of  mutual  joy, 
brought  nearer  and  closer  all  hearts.  The 
meeting  was  then  open,  and  all  were  invited 
to  say  a  word  for  Christ. 

Mason  Stuart  looked  his  astonishment  when 
his  brother  arose  and  expressed  the  same  con- 
fident faith  which  had  characterized  Mr.  El- 
liot's remarks.  Miss  Austen  followed.  Then 
others  ;  some  just  starting  in  a  Christian  life  ; 
some  young  and  some  old;  some  intelligent 
and  some  ignorant.  Miss  Greenleaf  had 
never  taken  part  in  such  a  meeting,  but  she 
did  so  now,  and  thus  assumed  her  rightful 
place.  The  hour  was  fully  occupied,  and 


44  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FOBTUXE. 

the  time  for  closing  the  meeting  had  arrived, 
when  Mason  sprang  to  his  feet,  and,  in  his 
usual  frank,  earnest  manner,  said : 

"  I  don't  know  certain  that  I  am  a  Chris- 
tian, but  I  can't  remember  when  I  didn't  pray. 
I  love  God  and  the  Saviour,  and  I  try  to 
serve  them.  I  love  them,  and  I  am  not 
ashamed  to  say  that  I  am  afraid  of  doing 
wrong.  If  there  is  a  boy  or  girl  here  who 
hasn't  chosen  Christ,  let  me  tell  you  you  are 
making  a  great  mistake.  There  is  nothing 
like  the  Bible  and  prayer  for  keeping  a  fellow 
straight,  and  I  mean  to  stick  to  both." 


THE    SUNDAY   MEETING.  45 


CHAPTEE  in. 

THE    SUNDAY   MEETING. 

NOTHING  could  be  added,  and  surely 
no  one  would  wish  to  take  from  the 
effect  of  this  short,  manly  speech.  The 
meeting  closed,  and  the  people  went  their 
way  to  talk  of  what  they  had  heard. 

"  Mason,  my  dear  boy,  you  have  made  me 
very  happy,"  said  his  aunt,  when  they  were 
alone  together.  "I  don't  think  I  had  ex- 
pected you  to  speak  as  you  did." 

"  Do  you  mean,  Margie,  that  you  don't 
think  I  act  like  a  Christian  ?  " 

"  No ;  that  is  not  what  I  mean  at  all.  I 
think  you  are  a  good,  conscientious  boy,  and 
I  have  always  known  you  were  a  praying 
boy.  I  have  no  doubt  that  you  are  a  Chris- 
tian ;  but  I  had  not  thought  of  you  as  one  who 
would  help  keep  up  the  interest  of  our  meet- 


4G  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

ings.  So  I  was  happily  surprised,  and  I  am 
very  glad  you  talked." 

"  Well,  I  am  glad  I  did,  too ;  and  I  am 
glad  you  are  glad.  I  couldn't  help  it  very 
well.  I  wanted  to  tell  how  I  felt,  and  I 
thought  may  be  there  was  some  boy  or  girl 
there  who  would  like  to  know.  You  were 
no  more  surprised  at  my  speaking  than  I  was 
at  Ed's.  I  knew  he  was  good,  as  folks  say, 
but  I  didn't  know  he  was  an  out  and  out 
Christian  till  this  evening.  I  tell  you,  Mar- 
gie, I*  was  proud  of  him,  and  the  people 
seemed  to  think  what  he  said  was  of  conse- 
quence. It  was  worth  losing  that  money  just 
to  have  him  what  he  is.  I  am  not  like  him, 
and  we  shall  do  different  work  in  the  world, 
but  we  can  both  of  us  do  right.  You  know 
old  Deacon  Goddard,  Margie,  and  what  a 
dear,  good  old  man  he  is,  and  how  everybody 
loves  him  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  know  all  that,  Mason." 

"  Well,  last  winter,  something  you  wrote 
to  me  set  me  to  thinking  whether  I  was  a 
Christian,  and,  finally,  I  made  up  my  mind 


THE    SUNDAY   MEETING.  47 

that  if  I  was,  I  ought  to  be  like  Deacon  God- 
dard.  So  I  went  over  to  his  house  and  told 
him  about  it.  Now  what  do  you  think  he 
did?" 

"  I  don't  know,  only  I  am  sure  he  must 
have  given  you  some  very  good  advice." 

"  He  did,  but  that  came  afterwards.  He 
just  opened  his  mouth  and  laughed  as  hard  as 
he  could  laugh,  till  it  seemed  as  though  he 
never  was  going  to  stop.  At  first  I  felt  like 
crying.  I  thought  he  was  making  fun  of  me. 
But  after  a  minute  I  began  to  laugh  too.  It 
was  a  funny  time  for  a  fellow  who  went  to 
talk  with  a  deacon  about  religion.  But  pretty 
soon  he  reached  out  his  arms  and  drew  me  up 
close  to  him,  and  talked  to  me  as  good  and 
loving  as  you  could.  He  said  I  was  a  boy 
and  he  was  an  old  man,  and  I  couldn't  be  like 
him  if  I  tried  ever  so  hard.  He  said  I  ought 
not  to  be  either.  He  said  I  must  be  a  boy 
Christian,  and  serve  God  in  a  boy's  way ;  and 
if  I  asked  God  to  help  me  I  could  do  my  own 
work  just  right.  Is  that  what  you  think, 
Margie?" 


48       HAROLD  DORSE Y'S  FORTUNE. 

"  Certainly  it  is.  I  don't  wonder  Deacon 
Goddard  laughed.  The  idea  of  your  being 
like  him  !  Did  you  go  home  satisfied  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Margie,  I  did,  and  I  have  gone 
along  since  then  without  worrying.  He 
helped  me  a  good  deal,  'though  I  never  said 
anything  in  meeting  before.  I  guess  our 
minister  wouldn't  like  to  have  me  talk  in 
his  meetings.  I  have  talked  to  Rufus  Brown 
a  good  deal,  and  I  think  he  is  all  right,  but 
nobody  knows  it  except  his  mother  and  me. 
I  liked  your  meeting.  I  don't  see  why  peo- 
ple don't  have  such  everywhere,  instead  of 
the  dull,  prosy  ones,  where  the  men  and 
women  act  as  though  they  all  wanted  to  go 
to  sleep.  I  wish  Norah  had  been  there. 
Don't  you  suppose  she  will  go  sometime  ?  " 

"  I  hope  she  will." 

"I  mean  she  shall.  I  have  found  out  that 
when  I  don't  see  how  I  am  going  to  bring 
things  'round  to  suit  me,  and  I  am  sure  it 
would  do  good  to  have  them  brought  'round, 
the  best  thing  I  can  do  is  to  pray." 

"  And  are  your  prayers  always  answered  ?  " 


THE    SUNDAY   MEETING.  49 

"  Not  always  exactly  as  I  calculated.  But 
I  know  God's  way  is  best,  so  that  makes  it 
all  the  same  to  me,  You  know  I  love  Rufe 
Brown,  and  I  have  tried  to  help  him.  I  kept 
wishing  he  could  have  more  money,  and  at 
last  I  prayed  for  it.  I  didn't  make  any  con- 
ditions either.  I  never  do.  I  think  that  is 
one  reason  why  people  don't  get  answers  to 
their  prayers.  I  talked  with  Deacon  Goddard 
about  that,  and  he  said,  if  we  wanted  anything 
enough  to  really  pray  for  it,  we  should  be 
willing  to  do  our  part  towards  bringing  it 
about,  and  not  try  to  make  any  conditions 
with  God.  So  I  prayed  that  Rufe  might 
have  some  money,  and  my  prayer  was  an- 
swered. I  never  thought  the  money  was  to 
come  in  the  way  it  did ;  as  the  price  of  my 
life.  Now  I  am  going  to  pray  for  Norah 
Borine  in  real  earnest." 

Edward  Stuart  came  in,  and  glancing  at 
the  flushed  face  of  his  young  brother,  judged 
rightly  that  there  had  been  sufficient  excite- 

O  v 

ment  for  one  day. 

"  You  are  tired,"  he  said  gently. 


50  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"  It  won't  hurt  a  fellow  to  be  tired,  if  he  is 
only  happy  enough  to  make  up  for  it.  I  am 
ever  so  glad  you  are  a  Christian.  It  will  be 
the  making  of  you ;  "  and  big  tears  rolled 
down  the  boy's  cheeks. 

Margaret  Austen  went  out  softly ;  her  own 
eyes  dimmed,  and  her  heart  so  stirred  that 
she  needed  to  carry  her  joy  where  she  had  so 
often  carried  her  grief. 

Meanwhile,  Norah  Borine  was  passing 
through  a  strange  experience.  The  incident 
which  ha<i  well-nigh  proved  a  tragedy  had 
deeply  impressed  her.  The  Sabbaths  were 
wearisome  days  to  her,  notwithstanding  the 
company  of  her  mother  and  grandmother. 
She  remained  within  doors,  dissatisfied  and 
restless ;  counting  the  hours  between  the 
departure  of  the  people  for  church  and  their 
return.  She  had  never  considered  it  a  priva- 
tion that  she  could  not  go  with  them,  but  it 
was  a  great  self-denial  to  lose  one  day  in 
seven  from  her  favorite  pursuits. 

"Why  can't  I  go  to  the  woods?"  she  asked. 

"  I'm  thinking  the  mistress  wouldn't   like 


THE    SUNDAY  MEETING.  51 

your  strolling,  and  you  can  well  bide  at  home 
for  a  day,"  answered  her  mother. 

"  Shure,  child,  I'd  not  be  liftin'  a  finger  to 
grieve  the  mistress,  or  the  young  master 
either.  Bide  within,  and  not  be  fretting." 

So  Mrs.  Rady  settled  the  question,  but 
Norah  was  not  content. 

"Mother,  are  you  willing  I  should  walk 
down  by  the  mill  ?"  she  continued.  "Jessie 
goes  there  with  her  father  of  a  Sunday." 

"  Yes,  go,  child ;  I've  not  the  heart  to  keep 
you,"  was  responded. 

Norah  did  not  say  she  wished  she  might 
attend  the  meeting.  She  went  down  by  the 
mill,  as  she  had  proposed,  and  when  there, 
stood  looking  into  the  water  until  it  occurred 
to  her  that  this  was  a  favorable  opportunity 
for  seeing  the  hall  she  had  never  yet  entered. 
She  could  reach  it  without  being  observed ; 
and  directly  she  was  mounting  the  stairs  lead- 
ing to  it.  It  was  not  so  grand  as  she  had  ex- 
pected, yet  some  attraction  held  her  there. 

She  was  startled  by  the  sound  of  voices. 
She  must  make  her  escape,  and  there  was  but 


52  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

one  way  to  do  this.  A  small  room,  opening 
from  the  landing,  and  separated  from  the  hall 
only  by  a  thin  partition,  offered  a  place  of  re- 
treat, which  she  entered  just  in  time  to  avoid 
Mr.  Bumstead  and  Kobert. 

She  would  have  hastened  down  and  away 
as  soon  as  they  had  passed ;  but  another  and 
another  came,  until  she  almost  held  her 
breath,  lest  she  might  be  discovered.  Grop- 
ing in  the  darkness,  she  found  a  block  of 
wood,  and  sat  down  to  await  the  event.  The 
hall  door  was  closed,  and  she  judged  that  the 
meeting  was  about  to  commence.  From  her 
position  she  could  readily  hear  what  might 
be  said,  and  the  temptation  to  remain  was 
too  strong  to  be  resisted. 

She  lost  not  a  word  of  the  Scripture  les- 
son ;  not  a  word  of  the  remarks  which  fol- 
lowed. The  singing  charmed  her.  She  had 
learned  some  old  Irish  songs,  crooned  by  her 
grandmother  now  and  then ;  but  these  were 
so  different,  she  was  ready  to  believe  she 
had  never  before  heard  anything  which  could 
properly  be  considered  singing. 


THE    SUNDAY   MEETING.  53 

Still  she  lingered,  listening  as  for  her  life. 
Some  of  the  speakers  she  failed  to  recognize, 
but  most  of  the  voices  were  familiar.  When 
the  last  hymn  was  announced  she  rose  to  her 
feet,  and  was  ready  to  bound  away,  as  Mason 
commenced  speaking.  Waiting  to  hear  him 
through,  she  was  in  danger  of  forgetting  the 
need  of  haste.  Suddenly,  however,  she  re- 
membered, and  by  a  retired  path  reached 
home. 

"  You  were  long  gone,"  said  her  mother. 

"  I've  heard  the  meeting,"  she  answered 
almost  defiantly. 

"  Was  it  for  that  ye  got  lave  to  walk  ?  " 
asked  her  grandmother,  with  an  ominous 
frown. 

"No,  granny,  I  didn't  think  I'd  go.  It 
just  happened,  and  I'm  glad  it  did.  You'd 
like  it  yourself.  The  singing  was  like  what 
they  say  Heaven  is." 

"  Xortih,  dear,  tell  us  how  it  happened," 
said  Mrs.  Borine,  laying  her  hand  caressingly 
upon  the  head  of  her  child. 


54  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

Thus  adjured,  Norah  gave  a  correct  version 
of  the  matter,  adding : 

"  It  was  all  about  God,  and  how  we  ought 
to  love  Him,  and  do  what  He  tells  us.  Mr. 
Elliot  said  the  Bible  was  the  grandest  book 
in  the  world.  He  said  it  was  a  long  letter 
God  has  written  to  us,  and  we  ought  to  read 
it  every  day,  so  as  to  know  what  to  do.  He 
read  something  about  fowls  of  the  air,  and 
lilies  of  the  field,  and  grass ;  and  then  he 
talked  about  them  just  as  though  they  be- 
longed with  loving  God. 

"  Oh  mother,  I  wish  you  had  been  there. 
There  wasn't  anybody  like  a  priest.  They 
prayed  just  as  Miss  Greenleaf  does  every 
morning,  and  a  good  many  talked.  Oh 
dear  !  They  aint  a  bit  like  us  ;  "  and  Norah 
buried  her  face  in  her  mother's  lap. 

Mrs.  Rady  said  nothing.  She  could  com- 
mand no  words  which  seemed  fitting  the  occa- 
sion. She  had  never  feared  that  her  grand- 
child would  l)e  lured  from  the  true  church, 
although  they  were  debarred  from  the 
privilege  of  its  communion.  She  had  been 


THE    SUNDAY   MEETIXG.  55 

prepared  to  encounter  persecution  in  defence 
of  her  faith,  and  was  somewhat  disappointed 
at  the  consideration  shown  her.  The  few 
verses  read  at  the  opening  of  school  seemed 
of  too  little  importance  to  receive  attention, 
and  for  that  reason  she  had  not  objected  to 
them,  or  to  the  prayer  which  succeeded  them. 
She  could  be  severe,  but  this  was  not  a  fit- 
ting time.  If  Norah  had  spoken  truthfully, 
there  was  small  reason  for  blame.  The  child 
would  soon  forget. 

Mrs.  Rady  was  a  sensible  woman ;  a 
strong,  true-hearted  woman  who  had  made 
her  way  bravely,  where  many  another  would 
have  faltered  and  fallen ;  but  she  had  now  to 
do  with  a  nature  past  her  comprehension. 
She  had  often  wished  that  Norah  was  like 
other  children,  more  quiet,  and  more  easily 
satisfied ;  but  of  the  hidden  sources  whence 
sprang  the  wild  longings  and  restless  energy 
she  knew  nothing.  It  was  well  that  the  child 
had  found  new  friends,  wiser  than  those  in  her 
home. 

The  passage   of    Scripture   read    by   Mr. 


56  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

Elliot,  with  the  comments  upon  it,  had  inter- 
ested all  who  heard  it.  People  talked  of  the 
meeting  as  "  best  of  all."  Mr.  Peavey  closed 
his  Bible  and  pushed  back  his  spectacles  when 
told  that  Harold  wTas  coming. 

"  Now  we'll  hear  it  second  hand,  and  about 
as  good  as  first,"  he  said  with  a  smile. 
"  Seems  to  me  sometimes  we  get  more  than 
the  rest  do,  and  it's  a  good  thing  for  the  boy 
too." 

Towering  above  the  old  man,  yet  still 
a  boy  in  the  freshness  of  his  feelings  and 
want  of  practical  experience,  Harold  Dorsey 
came  in. 

"I've  been  studying  over  Christ's  sermon 
on  the  mount  while  you've  been  gone,  and 
it's  been  as  though  Christ  was  speaking  it 
straight  to  us  poor  old  folks  this  blessed 
Sunday  night,"  remarked  his  host.  "  It's  like 
something  out  of  a  letter,  with  our  names  on 
the  back  of  it." 

"  Yes,  sir ;  that  is  very  near  what  Mr. 
Elliot  said,"  was  the  reply. 

"  And  did  you  learn  anything  new  ?  " 


THE    SUNDAY   MEETING.  57 

"Yes,  sir ;  it  seemed  almost  all  new.  It  is 
wonderful  how  talk  about  God  never  grows 
old.  It  is  like  the  sunrise.  It  is  just  to  light 
the  world  every  day,  and  it  is  the  same  light ; 
but  it  never  seems  twice  alike.  I  have 
thought  about  that  a  great  many  times,  and 
once  I  asked  grandsir  what  made  it  so." 

"What  did  he  tell  you?" 

"  lie  said  the  difference  was  in  the  clouds 
and  the  atmosphere,  but  he  didn't  explain  it. 
I  think  I'll  find  that  out  sometime." 

"  Will  you  find  out,  too,  what  makes  the 
old  Bible  story  always  new  ?  " 

"  I  know  that  now.  It  is  the  way  we  hear 
it.  Mr.  Elliot  told  me  he  used  to  hate  to 
hear  God's  name,  and  now  he  loves  it.  The 
difference  is  in  his  feelings." 

"That's  it,  my  boy,  and  you'll  find  new 
things  in  the  Bible  just  as  long  as  you  live. 
It's  crowded  full  of  just  what  we  need  to 
learn  and  remember.  Don't  you  suppose  that 
when  I  read  what  Christ  said  about  worrying, 
I  thought  how  he  sent  you  to  us  when  we 
needed  you  so  much  ?  'Twas  just  as  plain  to 


58  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

me  as  anything  could  be.  I  thought  about 
the  sea-fowl  too,  that  have  their  nests  in  the 
clefts  of  the  rocks,  and  the  lilies,  and  the 
grass.  It's  all  like  a  great,  handsome  pic- 
ture, if  you  can  only  think  how  it  looks." 

The  old  man's  heart  could  conceive  what 
his  tongue  could  not  utter,  as  he  said  this  in 
his  homely  way,  while  Harold  listened  re- 
spectfully. 

"  I  suppose  in  a  good  many  lonesome 
places,  where  never  anybody  goes,  there  may 
be  a  grass-seed  dropped,  somehow,  that'll 
sprout,  and  spring  up,  and  grow.  Then 
there  '11  be  more  seeds,  and  then  the  whole 
wiil  spring  up  again,  till  there's  a  good- 
sized  patch  of  grass,  that'll  keep  spreading 
and  growing  larger  every  year.  It's  'most 
strange  it  should  be  so,  and  we  can't  tell 
where  the  beginning  is,  but  God  knows  all 
about  it." 

"  Yes,  sir ;  and  then  to  think  how  little 
we  can  learn  of  all  His  works.  I  want  to 
live  a  great  while,  so  to  keep  on  learning." 


THE    SUNDAY   MEETING. 


"You  willj  my  boy,  you  will.  You  will 
live  through  all  eternity;  and  eye  hath  not 
seen  nor  ear  heard  the  glory  which  shall  be 
revealed  hereafter." 


60  HAROLD  DOESEY'S  FORTUNE. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

WISHING. 

HAVING  been  sent  to  invite  Miss  Green- 
leaf  to  tea,  Mason  Stuart  was  shown 
to  her  room,  where  he  was  quick  to  notice  the 
simple  decorations  which  gave  to  the  other- 
wise plain  apartment  a  cheerful,  home-like 
air. 

"Can  you  paint  pictures?"  he  asked  re- 
spectfully. 

"No, "she  replied.  "I  can  only  take  the 
bits  after  they  are  painted  and  put  them  to- 
gether, as  you  see." 

"But  these  shells,  and  lichens,  and  Jews- 
ears  are  just  as  they  grew." 

"  They  are  painted  for  all  that." 

"  Oh !  I  know  now  what  you  mean.  I 
never  thought  of  it  in  that  way.  There  was 
no  brush  used." 


WISHING.  61 

"Not  what  we  would  call  a  brush,  but 
there  was  method  in  their  coloring.  It  did 
not  happen." 

"  Nothing  happens  ;  but  do  you  know  how 
these  lichens  get  their  color  ?  " 

"  There  is  a  bit  which  took  its  color  from 
the  stone  on  which  it  grew.  But  oftener, 
perhaps,  stones  are  colored  by  lichens.  Jews- 
ears,  as  you  call  them,  have  different  colors, 
according  to  the  trees  or  stumps  on  which 
they  grow.  I  have  not  studied  them  enough 
to  know  much  about  it,  and  perhaps  there  is 
not  much  we  can  know.  The  grass  is  green, 
because  God  made  it  so,  and  His  secrets  are 
past  our  finding  out." 

"  I  know  that,  but  there  is  a  great  deal  to 
be  learned,  if  we  only  go  to  work  in  the  right 
way.  I  am  always  asking  questions,  but  you 
needn't  mind  telling  me  to  stop  when  you  get 
tired  of  them.  Aunt  Margaret  never  seems 
to  get  tired,  but  she  is  used  to  me.  Now,  I 
should  like  to  walk  to  school  with  you  if  you 
are  willing." 

Being  assured  that  his  company  would  bo 


62  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

enjoyed,  they  started  out  together,  much  to 
the  annoyance  of  the  children  who  waited  for 
their  teacher ;  yet,  wThen  Jessie  appeared,  she 
talked  with  one  and  another  until  the  conver- 
sation became  general,  and  the  walk  seemed 
all  too  short.  When  they  reached  their  des- 
tination Mason  said  good-morning,  and 
strolled  leisurely  home. 

The  lilies  of  the  field  were  considered  and 
discussed  that  day  by  people  who  wondered 
that  they  could  feel  such  interest  in  flowers. 
The  children  appealed  to  Miss  Greenleaf, 
while  she,  in  turn,  appealed  to  Miss  Austen, 
who  replied : 

"  I  was  sure  Mr.  Elliot  had  introduced  a 
new  subject  for  inquiry,  and  to  me  there  was 
always  a  peculiar  charm  investing  the  lilies  of 
Palestine.  They  must  have  been  very  beau- 
tiful, or  Christ  would  not  have  chosen  them 
as  the  type  of  floral  beauty.  Their  gorgeous 
colors  made  them  a  striking'  feature  in  an 
oriental  landscape.  The  shape  of  the  lily, 
also,  was  so  perfect,  that  it  afforded  a  pattern 
for  some  of  the  ornamental  work  of  Solomon's 


WISHIXG .  63 

temple.  The  brim  of  the  molten  sea  'was 
wrought  like  the  brim  of  a  cup,  with  flowers 
of  lilies.'  '  And  the  chapiters  that  were  upon 
the  top  of  the  pillars  were  of  lily  work.' 
These  descriptions  are  quoted  from  the 
Bible,"  added  the  speaker,  turning  to  her 
nephew. 

"  That  would  make  the  illustration  more 
striking  to  the  Jews,"  responded  Miss  Green- 
leaf.  "  It  must  have  seemed  strange  doctrine 
when  told  that  the  flowers  springing  up  where 
only  God  had  planted  them  surpassed  in 
splendor  the  robes  of  an  eastern  monarch 
whose  riches  were  the  wonder  of  all  the 
world." 

• 

"  Yet  Christ  spoke  with  authority,  and  it 
may  be  that  He  emphasized  his  words  by 
pointing  to  the  lilies.  I  always  wondered 
that  one  who  knew  so  much  of  God's  works, 
and  who  must  have  had  a  love  for  Nature, 
should  turn  aside  to  idols  as  did  Solomon. 
His  wisdom  should  have  made  him  more 
devout.  But  he  was  the  pride  of  the  Jewish 
nation,  surrounded  with  splendor.  His  robes 


64     HAEOLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

were  of  purple  and  scarlet,  embroidered  with 
gold,  yet  the  flowers  whose  dried  stalks  were 
used  for  fuel  were  far  more  beautiful." 

"  I  shouldn't  think  they  would  amount  to 
much  for  burning,"  said  Mason,  who  was 
mentally  taking  notes  of  this  conversation. 

"  The  people  of  the  East  were  obliged  to 
resort  to  almost  every  kind  of  combustible 
material.  Even  thorns  were  used  as  fuel. 
A  plant  is  no  less  beautiful  because  it  is  made 
useful.  The  lotus  of  Egypt,  which  is  a  high 
family  connection  of  our  water-lily,  was  al- 
most a  national  emblem.  Its  peduncles,  or 
stalks,  served  as  models  for  columns,  which 
were  often  surmounted  with  ornaments  in  the 
form  of  its  flowers,  resembling  enormous 
tulips.  Yet  the  seeds  of  this  plant,  called 
Egyptian  beans,  are  an  important  article  of 
food  for  poor  people.  The  roots,  too,  are 
nutritious  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year. 
The  Victoria  Itegia,  with  its  flowers  thirty 
inches  in  circumference,  is  a  lily.  It  is,  at 
first,  pure  white,  changing  to  red.  At  the 
end  of  the  third  day  it  withers,  and  sinks  to 


WISHING.  65 

ripen  its  seeds,  which  are  known  as  water- 
maize,  and  highly  prized  for  food." 

Robert  Bumstead  would  be  sure  to  hear  of 
these  wonderful  lilies,  and  he  was  also  sure  to 
be  interested.  Upon  first  meeting  Mason  he 
had  been  inclined  to  address  him  with  the 
same  respect  shown  to  Mr.  Stuart,  but  a  few 
days  of  familiar  intercourse  had  quite  changed 
all  this.  They  now  met  upon  common 
ground;  freely  exchanging  opinions  and 
comparing  notes.  They  confided  to  each 
other  their  hopes  and  ambitions ;  and  with 
the  earnestness  which  characterized  them, 
talked  of  their  plans  for  the  future. 

"  Do  you  want  to  study  Latin  ? "  asked 
Mason,  when  some  allusion  had  been  made 
to  the  language. 

"  Yes  I  do,  and  I  intend  to.  I  wish  I 
could  begin  to-day.  Harold  and  I  have 
talked  about  it  a  good  many  times. 

"  Docs  Harold  care  about  it !  " 

"  He  cares  about  everything.  You  don't 
know  what  he  is  by  seeing  him  two  or  three 
times." 

5 


66  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"  I  don't  suppose  I  do.  I  haven't  studied 
Latin  very  long,  but  I  am  a  fellow  who  does 
everything  thoroughly  ;  and  I  know,  as  far  as 
I  have  learned,  as  well  as  anybody.  If  you 
and  Harold  will  get  some  Latin  grammars,  I 
will  tell  you  how  to  begin,  and  hear  your 
lessons  till  I  go  away.  Then  I  will  get  Ed 
to  hear  you.  He  can  do  it  just  as  well  as  not, 
and  I  know  he  will  be  glad  to  help  you  along." 

"  It  seems  too  much  for  him  to  do  for  me, 
but  Harold  is  so  grand,  I  think  anybody 
might  be  glad  to  help  him.  He  is  a  great 
ways  beyond  me.  He  works  and  studies 
too." 

Doing  extra  work,  too,  was  Harold.  Mr. 
Peavey's  small  farm  had  been  long  neglected, 
because  of  the  owner's  failing  health,  but 
Harold  encouraged  him  to  make  his  plans  on 
a  larger  scale  than  usual,  and  then  proposed 
to  give  such  assistance  as  wonld  render  these 
plans  feasible.  An  hour  in  the  morning,  with 
an  hour  or  more  in  the  evening,  were  often 
added  to  his  regular  working  day,  while  to 


WISHING.  67 

all  remonstrance  he  replied  that  he  was  per- 
fectly able  to  do  it. 

"  It  makes  me  feel  bad  to  think  you  don't 
have  any  more  time  to  yourself,"  said  Mrs. 
Peavey  one  evening.  "  It's  pretty  much  all 
one  way  between  us  too.  We  can't  ever  pay 
you ;  but  God  can,  and  I  know  He  will.  It's 
ray  belief  He'll  give  you  the  desire  of  your 
heart,  whatever  that  is.  Perhaps  it  will  be 
after  we  old  folks  are  gone,  but  it  will  come 
some  time.  Father  has  been  saying  he  haint 
felt  so  well  able  to  work  for  ten  years  as  ho 
does  now ;  and  the  first  thing  I  know  I  am 
singing  away  as  merry  as  a  cricket." 

"  I  am  glad.  When  folks  sing  without 
meaning  to  I  always  think  they  are  happy," 
replied  Harold. 

"  And  you  think  right.  That  kind  of  sing- 
ing comes  straight  from  the  heart.  It's  like 
the  birds'  singing.  They've  been  twittering 
'round  the  house  all  day.  I  guess  there  are 
some  nests  being  built.  I  put  out  some  tow 
this  morning  and  it  has  'most  all  gone.  I  nl- 
Av.-iys  put  some  out  every  spring.  I  like  to 


68  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

help  the  poor  little  things.  It  seems  too  bad 
for  them  to  have  to  hunt  'round  for  a  few 
hairs  or  a  lock  of  wool." 

"They  fly  so  swift,  they  can  go  a  great 
ways  in  a  short  time." 

"  I  know  it,  but  father  says  it's  my  way  to 
want  to  help  every  thing  along." 

"Aint  that  so,  Harold?"  asked  the  old 
man,  with  a  smile  which  quite  irradiated  his 
thin,  wrinkled  face. 

"  Yes,  sir,  it  is,"  was  replied.  "  She  helps 
me  all  the  time." 

"  It  aint  much  I  can  do  for  you,  my  boy, 
but  you  can  count  on  that  little  just  as  long 
as  we  both  live.  Now  I  guess  we're  all  ready 
for  our  supper,  and  I've  took  extra  pains  to 
have  something  we  should  like.  When  folks 
work  hard  they  want  something  good  to  eat ; 
and  some  way  it  tastes  better  when  there's 
more  to  sit  down  together." 

"  Yes,  ma'am ;  I  have  thought  of  that  a 
good  many  times  since  I  came  here.  I  al- 
ways had  enough  to  eat,  and  it  was  good 
enough;  but  it  was  lonesome  at  the  table 


WISHING.  69 

with  only  grandsir  and  me.  When  I  used 
to  see  flocks  of  birds  and  herds  of  cattle 
I  thought  that  was  the  way-  people  ought  to 
live ;  a  good  many  together.  I  used  to  won- 
der how  it  would  seem  to  hear  a  good  many 
different  men  talk  every  day." 
"  What  of  the  women,  Harold  ?  " 
"  I  didn't  know  so  much  about  them, 
'though  I  wished  I  had  a  mother,  same  as  the 
boys  had  I  went  to  school  with  once.  I  was 
always  wishing  about  something." 

"  I  expect  that's  pretty  much  the  way  with 
us  all.  That's  what  keeps  us  doing.  Now, 
I'm  thinking  and  wishing  about  my  crops. 
The  season's  late,  but  if  we  have  rain  and 
sunshine  in  their  season,  farmers  will  get  well 
paid  for  their  work.  The  best  piece  of  corn 
I  ever  raised  was  just  a  hundred  days  grow- 
ing. Things  are  generally  made  up  to  folks 
some  way ;  so  it  is  best  to  keep  right  along 
doing  the  best  we  can,  and  not  worry.  I've 
been  thinking  to-day  that  we're  getting  along 
so  well,  I  can  afford  to  hire  some  help  for  a 


70  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

day  or  two,  and  you  take  your  time  for 
study." 

"  I  would  rather  do  the  work  myself.  I 
can  work,  and  study  afterwards.  When  I 
have  had  my  supper  I  shall  be  rested." 

The  supper  was  enjoyed  and  praised,  quite 
to  the  satisfaction  of  her  who  had  prepared 
it ;  while  the  three  talked  of  what  interested 
them  all. 

"Mr.  Elliot  and  Mr.  Gray  are  driving 
business,"  said  Mr.  Peavey. 

"  Yes,  sir ;  they  keep  steady  at  work,  and 
that  is  what  tells  in  the  long  run,"  was  re- 
plied. 

"  Exactly.  These  flighty  folks  that  work 
like  a  house-a-fire  one  day,  and  laze  'round 
the  next,  don't  amount  to  much.  I  guess 
you  hurry  all  the  time." 

"  No,  sir,  I  don't.  But  grandsir  told  me  I 
must  learn  to  work  fast,  and  so  I  did.  He 
said  there  was  a  difference  between  working 
fast  and  hurrying.  Mr.  Gray  works  fast." 

"  I  know  he  does.  There  aint  a  farmer 
'round  here  but  would  be  glad  to  hire  him, 


WISHING.  71 

if  he'd  only  keep  sober.  Folk*  say  he's 
coming  'round  to  be  a  first-rate  man." 

"  Mr.  Elliot  says  so,  and  he's  going  to  have 
a  new  house  to  live  in." 

"  More  building  going  on,  then ;  and  Mr. 
Elliot 's  going  to  have  an  addition  to  his  own 
house." 

te  Yes,  sir ;  and  he's  going  to  do  the  work 
himself,  at  odd  jobs.  He  has  made  all  his 
plans." 

"That's  a  good  way;  and  he's  a  man  to 
bring  his  plans  'round,  same  as  you'll  be." 

Two  hours  more  of  hard  work,  and  Harold 
again  entered  the  house,  where  ho  found  his 
friends  impatient  at  his  long  absence. 

w  There  is  one  piece  of  planting  done,"  he 
said  cheerfully.  "  We  shall  have  potatoes  in 
good  season ;  and  there  will  be  a  market  for 
them  among  the  workmen  at  the  mill." 

"  You  don't  say  you've  finished  up  that 
piece  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Peavey  in  a  tone  of 
surprise. 

"  Yes,  sir,  it  is  done." 

"  And  you  are  tired  ?  " 


72  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"  Not  very.  I  have  been  more  tired  a  good 
many  times,  when  my  heart  was  tired  too.  I 
shall  be  well  rested  by  morning." 

"  You  are  a  real  blessing,  my  boy.  God 
never  did  anything  else  so  good  for  us  as 
sending  you  here.  I  thank  Him  for  it  every 
day  of  my  life,  and  I  know  father  does.  To 
think,  too,  you'd  been  getting  ready  to  come 
all  the  years  we  didn't  know  there  was  such  a 
boy  in  the  world.  Eead  a  psalm  of  thanks- 
giving to-night,  father.  There  won't  any- 
thing else  seem  quite  so  good  as  that." 

JThe  old  man  did  not  hesitate  as  he  turned 
the  leaves  of  his  Bible.  He  knew  on  which 
yellow  page  to  look  for  the  psalm  whose 
every  word  is  expressive  of  reverent,  grateful 
gladness.  He  had  read  it  often  before; 
sometimes  when  the  burden  of  sorrow  pressed 
heavily,  and  sometimes  when  borne  aloft  as 
on  angel's  wings. 

There  was  not,  that  night,  a  happier  home 
in  Austenville ;  not  one  where  human  hearts 
drew  nearer  to  the  great  throbbing  heart  of 
the  Infinite. 


WISHING.  73 

Harold  Dorsey  forgot  his  fatigue.  '  He 
went  to  his  little  chamber  ready  for  the  hour 
of  study  with  which  he  closed  each  day. 
Another  hour  in  the  morning  was  devoted  to 
his  books,  and  then  he  hastened  to  his  work, 
full  of  bounding  life  and  energy.  He 
waited  a  little  for  Mr.  Elliot,  who  came  with 
Mr.  Gray.  Courteous  greetings,  never  omit- 
ted, were  exchanged  ;  remarks  made  concern- 
ing the  weather,  and  business  begun. 

Long  before  noon  a  boy  dressed  no  better 
than  Harold  himself  was  seen  crossing  the 
newly  ploughed  land. 

M  There's  Mason  Stuart,  spite  of  his  clothes," 
said  Mr.  Gray.  "  He's  about  the  queerest  fel- 
low I  ever  run  against.  I  didn't  know  what 
to  make  of  him  at  first ;  but  I've  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  he  says  what  he  means,  and 
means  what  he  says,  every  time.  He's  as  dif- 
ferent from  his  brother  as  brown  bread  is  from 
white  bread  ;  but  when  it  comes  to  hard  work 
brown  bread  stands  by  a  man  the  longest." 

"  I  am  not  sure  that  your  comparison  will 
hold  good,"  replied  Mr.  Elliot.  "Mr.  Stuart 


74  HAEOLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

has«as  much  pluck  and  perseverance  as  any 
man  needs." 

"  That  may  be.  I  think  as  well  of  him  as 
anybody  does ;  but  there's  something  in  that 
boy  yonder  you  don't  find  very  often.  I 
should  think  my  wife  patched  his  jacket ;  and 
if  our  old  shoemaker  didn't  make  his  boots 
there's  a  couple  of  cobblers  pretty  much 
alike." 

:f  You  must  have  good  eyesight  to  see  all 
that  so  far  away." 

"  I  have.  I  could  always  see  further  than 
almost  anybody  else,  except  when  I  was  look- 
ing into  a  glass  of  liquor.  Thank  God  and 
Miss  Austen  I  don't  look  there  now." 

"  Good-morning,  Mr.  Elliot.  Shall  I  be  in 
your  way  if  I  stay  'round  here  a  while  ? " 
asked  the  boy  whose  appearance  had  been 
thus  criticized. 

"  I  don't  believe  you  will,"  was  replied 
pleasantly.  "  You  don't  look  to  me  like  a 
fellow  who  would  get  in  anybody's  way." 

"  I  don't  intend  to.     I  wanted  to  come  over 


WISHING.  75 

here  and  see  what  turned  up.  Good-morn- 
ing, Mr.  Gray." 

"  Good-morning,"  responded  the  man,  as 
he  swung  his  whip  over  the  oxen  he  was 
driving. 

Harold  was  collecting  the  stones  which 
were  brought  to  the  surface,  and  did  not  look 
up  from  his  work  until  Mason  addressed  him. 
Again  the  cheerful  good-morning  was  uttered, 
and  reply  made. 

"  You  find  pretty  dirty  stones,"  was  the 
next  remark. 

"Yes,  sir;  they  have  been  in  the  dirt  so 
long  that  it  sticks  to  them."  , 

"Xow  look  here,"  exclaimed  Mason,  and 
then  waited  until  his  injunction  was  obeyed. 
"  What  do  you  say  sir  to  me  for  ?  It  makes 
me  feel  dreadfully  mean  and  small ;  and  if 
you  haven't  anything  particular  against  me 
I  wish  you  wouldn't  do  it.  I  don't  like  it. 
Should  you,  if  you  were  in  my  place  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know ;  "  and,  for  the  first  time, 
when  these  two  were  together,  the  elder 
laughed  in  genuine  boyish  fashion. 


76  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"  There,  now,  that  does  me  good.  I  guess 
you  won't  sir  me  any  more.  Anyway,  I 
will  trust  you  until  I  find  I  am  mistaken. 
So  let  us  shake  hands  and  be  friends." 

"  All  right,"  responded  Harold ;  at  the 
same  time  doing  his  best  to  remove  the  soil 
which  clung  to  his  right  hand. 

"Never  mind  that,"  said  his  companion. 
"  It  is  clean  dirt,  and  I  never  was  afraid  of 
that.  I  have  had  my  hands  soiled  a  great 
many  times.  They  are  pretty  white  now, 
but  they  will  get  over  that  before  summer 
is  through.  You  have  a  handsome  hand," 
added  the  speaker,  as  he  released  it  from 
his  grasp.  "  You  have  been  told  that  before, 
haven't  you  ?  " 

"  No.  I  never  was  told  much  about  my- 
self anyway." 

"  Well,  you  are  a  first-rate  looking  fellow. 
It  won't  do  you  any  hurt  to  have  me  say  it. 
I  guess  you  need  a  little  praising.  See ;  I 
brought  a  hammer  along  to  crack  stones 
with.  It  is  a  small  one,  but  I  have  a  knack  of 
using  it  to  good  advantage,  and  some  of  these 


WISHING.  77 

dirty  stones  open  like  a  casket  of  gems.  That 
isn't  original.  I  can't  say  things  as  well  as 
that,  'though  I  can  almost  think  them.  I 
shall  grow  to  them  sometime.  Now  you 
can  go  on  with  your  work,  if  you  want  to. 
I  can  entertain  myself." 


78  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 


CHAPTER  V. 

A   BEAUTIFUL    WORLD. 

WELL,  I  am  glad  that  was  a  dream," 
exclaimed  Mason  Stuart,  after  rub- 
bing his  eyes  and  looking  around  the  room, 
to  convince  himself  that  he  was  really  awake. 

"  What  was  a  dream?"  asked  Miss  Austen, 
who  at  that  moment  stepped  within  the  door. 

"My  experience,"  he  replied,  laughing. 
"I  have  been  living  underground,  and  it  is 
a  miserable  way  of  living,  I  can  assure  you. 
I  wouldn't  try  it  again  for  a  good  deal  of 
money.  Have  you  been  away?" 

"  I  have  been  down  to  the  mill.  You  have 
slept  a  long  time,  and  I  thought  you  would 
not  miss  me." 

"  I  didn't ;  only  I  wanted  to  know  you  were 
here,  as  long  as  my  head  felt  so  badly." 

"Is  it  better?" 


A    BEAUTIFUL    WORLD.  79 

"Yes,  ma'am,  it  is  all  right  now,  and  I  may 
as  well  shake  myself,  to  make  sure  if  I  am  a 
boy  instead  of  a  gopher.  What  time  is  it, 
please  ?  " 

"  Tea  will  be  ready  in  half  an  hour." 

"  I  should  think  I  had  slept.  If  I  had  my 
living  to  earn,  I  couldn't  spend  time  that  way. 
I  thought  I  would  go  down  and  see  Edward 
this  afternoon,  but  it  is  too  late  for  that  now." 

"  Yes,  it  is.  He  has  been  up  once  to  see 
you,  and  when  I  was  in  the  counting-room  he 
inquired  for  you." 

"  That  was  kind  in  him.  I  shouldn't  have 
expected  it,  and  I  don't  believe  he  would  have 
thought  of  doing  it  a  year  ago,  'though  he  was 
pretty  good  then.  I  am  proud  of  him.  I 
must  be  able  to  give  .a  good  account  of  my- 
self when  he  comes  to  tea,  and  this  evening  I 
hope  he  can  tell  me  about  the  creatures  that 
live  underground.  Wondering  about  them 
made  me  dream  what  I  did ;  and  the  sooner 
that  matter  is  settled  the  better.  I  wonder 
if  he  understands  the  ways  of  the  inhabitants 
of  solid  ground." 


80  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"If  you  should  ask  him,  he  would  probably 
tell  you  that  if  the  ground  is  solid  it  cannot 
be  inhabited." 

"  I  know  that,  Margie.  I  mean  to  speak 
of  things  just  as  they  are,  but  I  don't  always 
do  it.  I  wish  everybody  would  be  more 
particular  to  speak  the  truth.  It  would 
make  it  a  great  deal  easier  to  get  along  in 
the  world." 

This  want  of  truthfulness  and  accuracy  is 
almost  universal.  People  who  profess  to 
know  whereof  they  affirm  are  really  ignorant 
of  much  they  claim  to  understand.  Thus 
errors  become  popular,  to  the  great  disad- 
vantage of  individuals  and  communities. 

o 

It  would  be  well  if  such  pretenders  should 
meet  with  others  like  Mason  Stuart ;  quick  to 
detect  inconsistencies,  and  anxious  to  prove 
for  himself  the  truth  of  what  he  heard.  It 
must  be  confessed,  however,  that  this  habit 
had  often  troubled  his  brothers,  when,  in  the 
midst  of  some  narration  or  discussion,  they 
ventured  an  assertion  not  sustained  by  un- 
questionable evidence.  Dick  Fielding,  per- 


A    BEAUTIFUL    WORLD.  81 

haps,  had  been  most  often  called  to  account 
for  his  opinions ;  and  now  really  missed  the 
boy  whose  criticisms  had  proved  a  strong 
incentive  to  study. 

"I  miss  Mason  more  than  I  should  have 
thought  possible,"  he  wrote  to  his  Cousin 
Edward.  "lam  indebted  to  him  for  many 
a  question,  introducing  me  to  new  subjects 
of  interest.  He  is  always  on  the  alert ;  and 
if  you  don't  sometimes  find  yourself  at  your 
wits'  ends  to  know  how  to  answer  him,  you 
will  be  more  fortunate  than  I  have  been. 

?f  Thank  you  for  your  words  of  encourage- 
ment ;  and  Aunt  Margaret  for  the  substantial 
aid  she  proposes  to  give  me.  I  think  it  is 
now  decided  that  I  shall  take  a  college  course ; 
and  if  I  am  equal  to  the  occasion,  my  friends 
shall  hear  a  good  report  of  me." 

"Good  for  Dick,"  said  Mason,  with  charac- 
teristic earnestness,  when  this  letter  was  read 
aloud  at  the  tea-table.  rl  am  glad  he  is  go- 
ing to  college,  and  I  am  glad  Aunt  Margaret 
is  going  to  send  him.  He  will  come  out  all 
right.  He  is  equal  to  the  occasion,  and  one 


82  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

of  us  boys  ought  to  have  a  college  educa- 
tion. 

"  You  may  conclude  to  go  to  college  your- 
self," remarked  Edward. 

"  I  don't  believe  I  shall.  I  don't  think  I 
should  like  it  very  well ;  and,  besides,  I  can't 
afford  the  time.  Think  of  taking  four  years 

O  «/ 

out  of  my  life,  when  I  might  be  driving  'round 
and  learning  a  thousand  things  I  want  to 
know.  I  can't  afford  it." 

"It  may  be  the  best  investment  you  can 
make.  Four  years  devoted  to  study  are  by 
no  means  thrown  away.  You  would  acquire 
habits  of  mental  application  which  would  ben- 
efit you  all  your  life." 

"  I  don't  doubt  it ;  but  I  can  acquire  the 
habits  outside  of  college,  and  you  don't  know 
how  many  plans  I  have  on  hand." 

"  Do  you  know,  yourself  ?  " 

"  Not  exactly.  I  never  counted  them,  and 
I  don't  believe  I  could.  But  there  is  one 
always  ready  and  waiting,  when  I  have  time 
for  it.  They  pop  up  fast  enough  to  keep  me 
busy." 


A   BEAUTIFUL    WORLD.  83 

"  I  don't  remember  when  you  didn't  have 
enough  for  that.  You  kept  yourself  busy 
when  you  were  a  little  fellow ;  and  you  kept 
others  busy,  too,  looking  after  you." 

"  I  don't  doubt  it ;  but  for  the  rest  of  my 
life  I  mean  to  do  as  much  as  to  take  care  of 
myself.  I  will  help  others  too.  I  told 
Robert  I  would  help  him  and  Harold  begin 
to  study  Latin,  as  soon  as  they  get  some 
books.  I  know  it  as  far  as  I  have  been,  and 
if  there  is  anything  we  can't  find  out  for  our- 
selves we  can  call  on  you." 

"Yes,  you  can,  and  I  shall  be  glad  to  help 
you.  But,  at  present,  you  must  not  do  much 
studying." 

"  I  suppose  you  are  right.  My  head  begins 
to  feel  tired  again,  'though  it  don't  seem  as  if 
I  had  done  much  talking  or  thinking  either. 

~  o 

It  is  pretty  hard  for  a  fellow  like  me  to  be 
brought  up  standing  in  this  way,  just  when 
he  gets  fairly  started  about  anything.  I 
thought  I  should  be  as  well  as  ever,  when  I 
had  been  here  two  or  three  days." 

"That  is  expecting  too  much,  Mason.     You 


84  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

have  plenty  of  time  before  you,  so  you  need 
feel  in  no  haste.  I  will  leave  Aunt  Margaret 
to  prescribe  for  you  now,  and  help  you  to 
make  the  acquaintance  of  burrowing  animals, 
when  you  are  better  able  to  do  your  part." 

There  was  an  expression  of  sadness  on  the 
face  into  Avhich  Miss  Austen  looked,  as  Ed- 
ward Stuart  left  the  room ;  while  a  heavy 
sigh  betrayed  far  more  of  disappointment 
than  Mason  would  have  acknowledged  in 
words. 

"I  am  not  good  for  much,"  he  said  at 
length,  wearily.  "I  thought  I  had  more 
strength.  I  wonder  if  I  am  beginning  to  feel 
discouraged.  I  don't  know  exactly  how  that 
is ;  for  I  never  felt  so  in  my  life,  unless  I  do 
now.  Anyway  it  is  all  right,"  he  added  in 
a  cheerful  tone.  "I  am  sure  of  that,  and  I 
guess  I  shall  feel  better  in  the  morning." 

The  first  sound  heard  by  him  the  next 
morning,  was  the  beating  of  the  rain  against 
the  window  ;  and  as  he  was  inclined  to  sleep 
longer,  this  sound  was  by  no  means  unwel- 
come. When  he  was  ready  to  go  below 


A   BEAUTIFUL    WORLD.  85 

stairs,  he  found  his  breakfast  waiting  for  him 
in  the  kitchen,  and  it  all  seemed  so  cosey  and 
home-like,  he  thought  Mrs.  Bumstead  even 
better  than  Aunt  Comfort,  who  sometimes 
found  fault  with  him. 

The  day  began  pleasantly  despite  the  rain, 
and  he  Avas  quite  sure  it  would  end  pleas- 
antly. Mr.  Elliot  had  invited  "  the  boys  "  to 
spend  this  evening  at  his  house.  •.  Harold  was 
to  be  there,  and  possibly  Norah  Borine,  so 
the  time  was  sure  to  be  well  occupied.  Jes- 
sie made  the  cottage  as  attractive  as  she  could, 
and  was  as  cordial  a  hostess  as  any  one  need 
desire. 

Naturally  and  easily  Mr.  Elliot  introduced 
the  subject  he  proposed  to  consider,  and 
spoke  at  some  length  of  the  wonderful  provi- 
sions of  nature,  which  leaves  no  part  of  the 
globe  uninhabited.  The  waters  teem  with 
life ;  the  very  soil  itself,  while  nourishing 
and  sustaining  a  countless  variety  of  vegeta- 
tion, affords  a  home  for  myriads  of  creatures 
fitted  to  dwell  where  the  sunlight  never 
comes.  Reference  was  made  to  the  tenants 


86  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

of  the  meadow,  whose  haunts  had  been  in- 
vaded, and  this  gave  Mason  an  opportunity 
to  ask  still  further  in  regard  to  the  habits  of 
moles. 

His  questions  having  been  answered,  he 
was  surprised  to  learn  that  there  is  a  mole- 
cricket,  as  well  provided  with  implements 
necessary  for  digging,  as  is  the  animal  whose 
name  distinguishes  it  from  others  of  its 
family. 

"  A  great  many  insects  dig  in  the  ground," 
said  Mr.  Elliot,  in  reply  to  his  expression  of 
astonishment.  "  Some  you  know  dig  pits, 
where  they  conceal  themselves,  and  wait  for 
other  insects  to  fall  into  their  clutches. 
There  are  traps  for  the  unwary  in  every 
direction." 

w  Do  you  mean  that  every  creature  has  an 
enemy  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  but  God  has  given  to  every  crea- 
ture, from  the  lowest  to  the  highest,  the  in- 
stinct of  self-preservation,  which  keeps  it 
always  on  the  alert." 

"  And  every  one  knows  its  right  place." 


A    BEAUTIFUL    WORLD.  87 

"  Yes,  and  seldom  wanders  away  from  it. 
But  human  beings  can  accommodate  them- 
selves to  circumstances.  They  can  make 
fires  to  protect  themselves  from  the  cold,  or 
find  a  way  to  shade  themselves  from  excessive 
heat.  If  they  have  much  to  live  on  they  can 
enjoy  it :  if  they  have  little,  they  can  make 
themselves  comfortable  with  that." 

"  That  is  what  Aunt  Comfort  calls  having 
faculty ;  but  she  says  there  are  a  great  many 
people  who  can't  do  it,  and  them  she  calls 
shiftless." 

"  She  is  right  about  that.  It  is  fortunate 
for  the  shiftless  ones  that  the  rule  which  holds 
good  among  most  of  the  lower  animals  finds 
its  exception  with  men." 

"Please,  what  is  the  rule?" 

"  Work  or  die." 

"That  would  be  hard  for  some  folks, 
'though  I  think  it  would  be  just.  People  say 
the  lame  and  the  lazy  are  always  provided 
for ;  and  the  lame  ought  to  be  if  they  can't 
work.  As  for  the  others,  it  might  do  them 
good  to  go  hungry  a  while." 


88  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"What  do  you  think  about  it,  Harold?" 
asked  Mr.  Elliot. 

K I  am  not  the  one  to  decide ;  but  grandsir 
used  to  say  if  he  had  his  way  lazy  people 
would  starve,  unless  they  went  to  work  and 
provided  for  themselves.  He  said  I  must 
learn  to  take  care  of  myself,  and  make  the 
most  of  my  opportunities.  So  I  tried ;  and 
when  I  have  been  in  the  woods  and  fields  I 
have  thought  that  every  fly,  and  bee,  and 
little  creature  was  trying  too." 

"  They  are  trying ;  doing  the  best  they  can, 
as  God  has  given  them  ability,  and  they  teach 
us  a  lesson  we  should  do  well  to  heed.  But 
Mason  wishes  to  hear  more  about  burrowing 
animals.  The  evening  will  be  gone  before 
his  wishes  are  gratified  unless  we  keep  to  the 
subject." 

"  I  never  thought  of  so  many  animals  living 
in  the  ground,  and  the  strangest  part  of  it  is, 
there  is  something  curious  about  them  all," 
remarked  Mason,  an  hour  later.  "I  don't 
suppose  I  shall  remember  all  I  have  heard, 
but  if  I  forget  I  can  ask  over  again." 


A    BEAUTIFUL    WORLD.  89 

"That  is  right,"  responded  Mr.  Elliot. 
M  Some  of  us  will  remember.  Harold  will 
be  sure  to.  I  think  he  never  forgets  any- 
thing." 

"I  try  not  to,"  was  the  modest  reply  of 
him  who  was  thus  praised.  "  I  have  learned 
a  great  deal  this  evening." 

"  Shall  you  study  after  you  go  home  ?  " 

"Xo,  sir;  I  shall  study  in  the  morning. 
Daylight  is  better  than  candle-light,  and 
cheaper  too." 

"  I  am  afraid  you  wanted  to  stay  at  home 
this  evening,  but  we  wanted  you  to  come 
here,"  said  Jessie. 

"  I  Avanted  to  come  here,  and  I  am  glad  I 
came,"  he  answered  quickly. 

"  I  think  we  are  all  glad,"  added  Mason, 
rising  to  go,  while  Robert  remained  seated, 
examining  a  piece  of  lichen. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Mr.  Elliot,  seeing  an 
unspoken  request  in  his  little  daughter's  face. 

"We  might  have  a  meeting,"  she  replied. 

Mason  resumed  his  seat.  Mr.  Elliot  took 
up  the  Bible  which  had  belonged  to  his  wife, 


90  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

and  read  a  chapter,  after  which  he  began  to 
sing  a  familiar  hymn.  The  door  opened 
softly,  and  a  voice  which  all  recognized 
joined  in  the  song  of  praise.  The  door 
opened  wide  from  within,  and  Edward  Stuart 
entered  without  interrupting  the  worship. 
Keverently  they  knelt,  while  each  heart  re- 
sponded to  the  words  of  prayer  then  offered. 

It  was  not  late  when  Harold  Dorsey 
stepped  within  the  shadow  of  the  wood,  and 
yet  he  walked  rapidly,  as  if  in  haste  to 
reach  his  destination.  He  knew  that  tAvo 
old  people  would  be  watching  for  his  return, 
and  this  thought  quickened  his  steps. 

"  Harold  !  "  called  Mrs.  Peavey,  just  as  he 
was  expecting  to  hear  her  voice. 

"Yes,  ma'am,  I  am  here,"  was  the  cheerful 
response.  "  We  all  had  a  good  evening." 

"  I'm  glad  of  it.  Now  go  to  bed  and  get 
rested.  You're  a  great  comfort  to  us.  Good- 
night." 

"  Good-night." 

Sleep  was  sweet  to  him,  as  was  the  love- 
call  of  the  bird  which  roused  him  from  his 


A    BEAUTIFUL    WOULD.  91 

slumbers  in  the  gray  dawning  of  another  da}'. 
It  was  yet  too  early  for  the  most  industrious 
workers  to  be  astir;  but  lessons  must  be 
learned.  Gradually  the  little  attic  room 
brightened,  while  its  occupant  was  too  much 
engrossed  in  study  to  heed  the  rays  of  sun- 
light which  fell  athwart  his  book. 

Something  was  gained  that  morning. 
Where  he  had  thought  help  indispensable, 
he  had  found  his  own  powers  sufficient. 
Breakfast  was  prepared  for  him,  and  he  went 
forth  to  his  daily  toil,  strong  and  happy.  His 
heart  was  so  full  of  gratitude  that  he  wished 
he  could  express  his  gladness  as  did  the  birds 
who  filled  all  the  air  with  their  melody. 

"O,  Mr.  Elliot,  what  a  beautiful  world 
this  is  !  "  he  exclaimed,  as  he  met  his  friend. 
"It  is  good  to  be  allowed  to  live  in  it." 

"It  is  a  beautiful  world,  and  it  is  good 
to  live  in  it,  if  we  live  to  please  God,"  was 
replied.  "Are  you  perfectly  satisfied  this 
morning,  Harold  ?  " 

"No,  sir  ;  I  don't  -think  I  am.  If  I  was,  I 
shouldn't  want  anything  more,  and  that  is 


92  HAROLD    DORSE Y'S    FORTUNE. 

not  the  way  I  feel.  I  want  a  great  deal,  and 
it  is  all  before  me  somewhere.  I  can  find  it." 

"  Can  you  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Elliot  earnestly. 

"  Yes,  sir ;  with  God's  help  I  can." 

"  Fine  morning,"  now  said  Mr.  Gray,  who 
was  coming  towards  them.  "I'm  five  min- 
utes late  ;  but  I  was  doing  a  job  in  the  house, 
and  it  took  me  longer  than  I  calculated.  I'll 
make  it  up." 

"You  did  that  beforehand.  You  have 
gained  more  than  ten  times  five  minutes." 

"I  don't  know  about  that.  I  want  to  keep 
square  with  the  mill  folks,  but  I'm  so  behind- 
hand with  what  I  ought  to  do  for  my  family 
it  takes  a  great  deal  to  make  that  up.  Then 
my  walk  is  pretty  long.  I  don't  always 
make  allowance  enough  for  that." 

"It  is  too  long.  We  all  know  that,  and 
there  will  be  a  house  ready  for  you  before 
fall.  Miss  Austen  has  not  forgotten  you." 

"  She  aint  one  of  the  forgetting  kind.  But 
the  house  I  live  in  now  aint  so  bad.  It  looks 
pretty  comfortable  since 'I've  patched  it  up, 
and  set  the  glass  in  the  windows.  The  chil- 


A   BEAUTIFUL    WORLD.  93 

dren  keep  flowers  in  every  corner  and  on 
every  shelf ;  and  the  walls  are  all  dotted  over 
with  what  looks  as  well  as  pictures  to  me. 
We're  getting  to  think  a  good  deal  of  the  old 
house  ;  and  another  thing,  Mr.  Elliot,  I  could 
buy  it  cheap,  and  have  it  for  my  own." 

"That  is  your  idea,  is  it,  Gray?  Not  a 
bad  one  either.  A  man  likes  to  feel  that  he 
owns  his  home,  and  if  you  wish  to  stay  there 
I  presume  Miss  Austen  will  have  no  objec- 
tion. Do  your  wife  and  children  like  the  old 
house  as  well  as  you  do  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  and  they're  always  at  something 
to  make  it  look  better.  If  I  do  say  it  myself 
it's  as  clean  and  comfortable  a  place  as  the 
best.  AVe  don't  expect  anything  grand,  and 
we  don't  care  about  it.  It's  good  enough 
for  us." 

"  It  is  better  than  my  cottage,"  said  Mr. 
Elliot.  "  There  is  plenty  of  room  for  even 
a  larger  family  than  yours  ;  and  if  you  keep 
on  as  you  have  begun,  you  will  be  able  to 
pay  for  it  and  fix  it  up  at  the  same  time. 
You  can  speak  to  Miss  Austen  about  it." 


94          HAROLD  DOESEY'S  FORTUNE. 

The  men  were  not  idle  while  talking,  and 
whatever  was  Mr.  Gray's  indebtedness  to  his 
employer,  he  more  than  repaid  it  before  the 
bell  summoned  him  to  dinner  provided  at 
the  mill  boarding-house.  He  walked  with 
Mr.  Elliot,  and  seeing  Mason  Stuart,  re- 
marked : 

"That  boy  didn't  care  about  making  us 
another  visit  to-day." 

"  I  think  strength  has  been  wanting  rather 
than  inclination.  He  would  have  been  sure 
to  come  unless  prevented." 

"  Well,  I'm  always  glad  to  see  him.  The 
folks  belonging  to  the  great  house  are  all  of 
a-piece  :  up  and  down,  but  as  good  as  need 
be.  When  the  Thursday  evening  meetings 
started,  folks  round  here  said  there  wa'n't 
much  to  be  expected  from  a  woman  and  a 
vouns  man  that  thought  it  worth  while  to 

«/  O 

light  up  a  room  where  they  could  talk  about 
ducks  and  geese.  I  heard  a  good  deal  said 
after  that  fashion,  and  I  helped  it  along ;  but 
I'm.  ashamed  enough  of  it  now.  There  was 
Muzzy,  too,  always  at  it.  We  were  in  the 


A   BEAUTIFUL   WORLD.  95 

same  boat,  and  he  stays  in,  while  I  am  fairly 
out  of  it." 

"A  miserable,  unseaworthy  boat  it  is, 
Gray.  The  wonder  is  that  we  were  able  to 
get  out  of  it  alive.  A  kind  providence  was 
all  that  saved  us.  God  employs  human 
means,  but  it  is  His  power  which  brings 
salvation." 

"I  believe  you,  Mr.  Elliot.  I  believe  you 
with  all  my  heart.  You  never  spoke  a  truer 
word  than  that,  and  God  be  praised  for  all 
his  mercies." 

"Amen!"  was  the  reverent  response,  as 
these  men  parted,  while  those  who  observed 
them  never  dreamed  what  grateful,  loving 
hearts  were  throbbing  in  their  bosoms. 


96  HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

NORAH   BORINE. 

I  AM  afraid  Mr.  Gray  will  think  I  have 
forgotten  about  helping  Harold,  to  pay 
for  what  he  helped  me  when  I  was  exploring 
a  mole's  tunnel,"  remarked  Mason  Stuart  at 
the  dinner-table.    "I  promised,  but  I  couldn't 

go  over  there  to-day." 

"There   is   no   reason  why  you   should," 

replied  his  brother.  "  Harold  will  be  all  the 
better  for  some  variety  of  occupation." 

"  No  matter  for  that,  Ed.  That  is  nothing 
to  the  purpose.  "When  I  promise,  I  mean 
what  I  say,  and  I  make  my  promises  good. 
I  shall  pick  stones  an  hour  some  day.  A 
variety  of  occupation  won't  hurt  me  any  more 
than  it  will  Harold." 

"  You  can  be  your  own  judge  in  regard  to 


NOR  AH   BORIXE.  97 

that,  unless  Aunt  Margaret  chooses  to  assert 
her  authority." 

"  She  has  asserted  it  to-day.  She  told  me 
I  must  stay  in  the  shade  and  think  quietly, 
and  I  have  done  the  best  I  could  to  obey.  It 
was  easy  enough  to  stay  in  the  right  place ; 
but  my  thoughts  would  come  tumbling  over 
each  other,  in  the  same  way  they  always  do. 
Robert  thinks  all  the  time,  too,  but  he  don't 
get  so  stirred  up  as  I  do.  Do  you  ever  get 
all  stirred  up,  Ed?" 

"Perhaps  not  in  just  the  way  that  you 
do,  although  I  think  I  have  a  liberal  sup- 
ply of  enthusiasm.  If  I  am  interested  in 
a  subject  it  seems  to  me  of  very  great  im- 
portance." 

"I  am  glad  to  hear  that,  'though  your  eyes 
didn't  snap  quite  enough  when  you  said  it. 
The  way  it  is  with  me,  when  I  am  interested 
in  any  subject,  I  don't  begin  to  feel  satisfied 
until  I  know  all  about  it.  If  there  is  any- 
thing for  me  to  do  I  just  go  at  it,  as  though 
my  life  depended  on  what  I  am  doing ;  and 
how  do  I  know  but  it  does  ?  " 


98          HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"You  don't  know.  Your  life  may  some- 
time depend  upon  your  own  exertions,  but 
it  is  not  necessary  that  you  should  do  the 
digging  for  all  burrowing  animals." 

"You  are  right  there,  Ed.  It  tires  me 
dreadfully,  and  I  don't  like  it ;  but  my  head 
was  so  full  of  what  I  heard  last  evening  I 
couldn't  forget  it  when  I  was  asleep.  Robert 
said  he  slept  all  night  without  being  troubled. 
He  takes  things  easier  than  I  do,  but  I  don't 
know  as  I  want  to  change  my  ways  for  his. 
I  shall  sleep  like  a  top  when  I  get  well,  and 
then  I  can  start  again  on  the  old  track." 

Mason  was  not  alone  in  comparing  himself 
with  his  new  companion.  Robert  Bumstead 
had  already  reached  somewhat  definite  con- 
clusions in  regard  to  his  own  abilities  as 
measured  by  those  of  the  boy  who,  although 
his  junior,  was  in  many  respects  his  superior. 
He  was  steady  and  persistent,  with  a  quick, 
intelligent  mind.  Could  he  have  expressed 
the  thought  which  in  its  vagueness  half  op- 
pressed him,  he  would  have  said  that,  where 
he  must  walk  carefully  to  reach  a  desired 


NOR  AH    BORINE.  99 

goal,  another  would  bound  forward  with  the 
fleetness  of  a  gazelle. 

"Aunt  Margie,  Ed  made  me  think  of 
father  when  I  was  coming  home  with  him  last 
evening.  I  felt  safe  with  him  just  as  I  used 
to  feel  with  father.  I  don't  wonder  the  peo- 
ple here  look  up  to  him,  do  you?" 

"I  never  wondered  at;  it,"  said  Miss  Au- 
sten, in  reply  to  her  young  nephew's  remark. 
"  I  should  not  have  chosen  him  as  my  business 
partner  if  I  had  not  considered  him  worthy 
of  confidence  both  in  head  and  heart.  Two 
persons  may  be  equally  good  and  reliable, 
while  possessing  many  different  characteris- 
tics. I  don't  expect  you  will  ever  be  like 
Edward ;  but  I  shall  be  sadly  disappointed, 
if  you  are  not  his  equal  in  all  sterling  quali- 
ties." 

"  I  know  what  you  mean  Aunt  Margaret. 
You  think  I  want  Ed  to  be  just  the  same 
driving  kind  of  a  fellow  that  I  am." 

"  Not  exactly  that,  Mason,  but  I  do  think 
you  are  a  little  inclined  to  underrate  Ed- 
ward and  Clarke,  because  they  are  less  de- 


100        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

monstrative  than  you  are,  and  have  regard 
for  some  things  you  care  nothing  about." 

"I  see,  and  you  are  right  about  it,  too, 
Margie.  They  don't  always  start  up  as  quick 
as  I  want  them  to.  They  stop  too  long  to 
fix  up ;  or  else  they  take  time  to  consider 
and  calculate,  when  I  pitch  in  head-first. 
That  is  a  little  slangy,  but  it  expresses 
exactly  what  I  want  to  say." 

"  I  presume  it  does,  so  I  will  not  find  fault 
with  you.  I  don't  expect  you  to  talk  like 
Deacon  Goddard,  but  while  you  are  here  I 
think  it  will  be  proper  for  you  to  call  your 
brother,  Edward,  instead  of  Ed." 

"I  think  so,  too,  Aunt  Margaret.  I  ought 
to  have  thought  of  it  before,  but  I  didn't. 
I  needed  a  lesson  to-day,  and  I  thank  you 
for  giving  me  one.  I  shall  remember  it. 
Strange,  how  things  are  linked  together,  and 
how  many  different  people  that  we  never 
heard  of  had  an  interest  in  our  ten  thousand 
dollars.  When  we  lost  it,  we  gained  more 
than  we  lost.  Other  people  gained  too  :  all 
who  live  around  here,  and  all  who  work  in 


NORAH   BORISTE.  101 

the  mill ;  and  my  brother  Edward  gained 
immensely." 

"  I  trust  you  are  right  in  your  conclusions, 
Mason,  and  that  we  shall  all  have  reason  to 
bless  the  day  when  we  started  up  the  old 
mill.  We  have  only  well  commenced  our 
work  here  yet,  but  I  have  faith  that  we  shall 
carry  it  through  successfully.  We  have  some 
boys  and  girls  here  I  hope  to  see  grow  up  into 
noble  men  and  women." 

"  There  are  Jessie  and  Norah.  I  don't  see 
why  Norah  didn't  go  to  Mr.  Elliot's.  I  know 
Jessie  was  disappointed." 

Norah  Borinc  had  declined  Jessie  Elliot's 
invitation ;  and  yet,  through  all  the  evening 
she  was  restless  and  unhappy ;  dissatisfied 
with  herself  and  with  others,  because  of 
remaining  at  home  when  she  wished  to  be 
elsewhere. 

"  What's  the  matter  with  you  ?  "  asked  her 
grandmother.  "  I'm  thinking  you're  at  your 
book  too  much." 

"No,  I  aint  granny.  I  aint  at  my  book 
half  enough.  I  guess  that's  what's  the  mat- 
ter. I'm  lonesome." 


102         HAROLD  DORSEY'S  FORTUNE. 

"  Lonesome  with  your  mother  and  grrfnny  ! 
That    ever    that    should    be !     Where's    the 
teacher  ?  " 
•  "  At  home,  and  not  likely  to  be  wanting  me." 

"  She  always  seems  glad  when  you  speak 
to  her.  She  smooths  out  the  wrinkles  in 
your  face  and  brightens  you  up." 

"  She  does  that  for  everybody,  she  is  so 
bright  herself;  but  I  won't  trouble  her." 

"You'll  be  walking  with  her  again  when 
the  sun  shines." 

"  I  hope  so.  It's  beautiful  to  go  with  her. 
I  wish  3rou  and  mother  could  see  things  as 
she  does." 

"Well,  honey,  we'd  be  diiferent,  to  please 
you,  if  we  could,  but  it's  not  for  the  likes  of 
us.  We'll  help  you.  Don't  you  know  you're 
granny's  darling,  and  she  working  hard  so 
you  can  learn  with  the  best.  Ah  !  me,  what 
would  be  to  us  but  for  Mr.  Stuart !  We'll 
bless  him  every  day  of  our  lives.  And  the 
brother  !  He's  a  gintleman,  young  as  he  is  ; 
every  inch  a  gintleman.  He  speaks  to  me  as 
though  I  was  a  ledcty,  like  the  mistress  her- 
self." 


NOR  AH   BO1UXK.  103 

"And  isn't  she  the  nicest  lady,  granny?" 

"  Sure  I'm  thinking  there's  not  another  like 
her." 

w  And,  granny,  Jessie  Elliot  says  it's  her 
religion  makes  her  so.  Perhaps  we  might 
he  a  little  bit  like  her,  if  we  had  the  same 
religion." 

"  That  iver  I  should  hear  the  likes  of  that 
from  my  own  flesh  and  blood !  You're  not 
turning  heretic,  be  you?  Sorra  the  day  I 
live  to  see  that." 

"  What  is  a  heretic,  granny  ?  " 

"  One  outside  the  true  church ;  that  de- 
spises the  Houly  Virgin  and  the  prastes." 

Mrs.  liady  checked  herself  before  consign- 
ing all  heretics  to  the  wretchedness  she  had 
been  taught  to  believe  awaited  them.  She 
remembered  her  employers,  whose  upright- 
ness and  kindness  had  won  her  affectionate 
regards. 

"  But  the  Virgin  was  only  a  woman,"  said 
Norah.  "  I  asked  Jessie,  and  she  told  me ; 
and  in  the  meeting,  they  all  said  God  would 
hear  our  prayers,  no  matter  how  bad  we  are. 


104        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

The  priests  are  only  men.  Are  they  any 
better  than  Mr.  Stuart  ?  " 

"  Hush,  child.  You've  no  right  to  say  such 
things." 

tf  But,  mother,  she  only  asked  a  question," 
rejoined  Mrs.  Borine,  whose  own  heart  had 
been  touched  by  some  influence  she  could  not 
understand. 

"I'm  not  to  answer  everything,"  was  replied 
sharply.  "  Mister  Stuart 's  that  above  me, 
I'd  not  say  a  word  to  his  hurt." 

"  His  God  is  just  the  same  as  yours, 
granny.  There  aint  but  one,  is  there?" 

"You  can  answer  that,  mother." 

"  Yes ;  there  aint  but  one  God  for  the 
whole  world.  Now  don't  be  troubling  me. 
The  master  and  the  mistress  have  a  right  to 
their  own  religion,  but  Ave'll  kape  to  ours." 

"And  never  go  to  the  meeting?  Can't  I 
go,  mother?" 

"I  don't  know.  We'll  wait  and  see.  Now 
mind  your  book,  there's  a  good  girl.  When 
Miss  Greenleaf  has  your  dress  done  you  shall 
go  somewhere." 


NOIIAII   BOKIXE.  105 

"  The  meeting  is  all  the  place  there  is  to  go 
to,  except  the  school  and  the  woods.  Mother, 
will  we  ever  have  more  rooms  to  live  in 
than  just  these  three?" 

« I  don't  know,  child.     Why  ?  " 

"Because  other  folks  are  going  to  have 
bigger  houses  and  nicer  things.  I  hear  the 
children  talk  about  it.  Mr.  Elliot  has  begun 
to  make  his  house  bigger.  I'm  real  glad 
too ;  because  Jessie  wants  it,  and  she's  so 
good.  I  wish  I  was  like  her." 

Yet,  notwithstanding  her  cordial  admira- 
tion of  this  friend,  she  was  unwilling  to  meet 
Jessie  Elliot,  and  it  was  not  until  recess  that 
the  latter  found  an  opportunity  to  speak  to 
her. 

"Why  didn't  you  come  last  evening?"  was 
then  asked  reproachfully.  "Robert  told  a 
real  good  story,  and  all  but  me  knew  some- 
thing nice  to  say.  I  can't  think  why  you 
wouldn't  come.  We  all  wanted  you." 

"Well,  Jessie  Elliot,  I  wish  I  had  gone," 
answered  Xorah.  "  I  didn't  have  a  bit  of 
irood  time  last  evening.  There  was  some- 


106         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

thing  pulling  at  me  every  minute,  just  as 
though  I  was  where  I  didn't  belong.  I'm 
different  from  anybody  else,  and  I  want  you 
to  tell  me  what  the  matter  is  with  me.  You 
know,  and  I  shan't  be  mad  at  what  you  say. 
Don't  you  mind  a  bit  if  I  do  get  hot  and  let 
my  eyes  snap.  I  shall  get  over  it  in  a  min- 
ute. I've  got  a  horrid  temper.  I  heard  some- 
body say  that  about  one  of  the  neighbors, 
and  then  I  knew  that  was  the  matter  with 
me ;  but  that  aint  all.  I  do  feel  so  awful 
when  things  don't  go  to  suit  me.  I  want  to 
bite  and  scratch  everybody  that  comes  near 
me.  I  suppose  you'll  think  that's  dreadful ; 
and  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  you  never  want 
to  speak  to  me  again  as  long  as  you  live. 
I  don't  want  to  do  so.  But  I  heat  up  in  a 
minute,  and  then  I  forget  how  bad  it  is. 
I'm  a  fool  for  telling  you ;  but  you  knew  it 
all  before,  didn't  you?  " 

"I  knew  some,"  replied  Jessie  frankly." 
But  that  don't  make  any  difference  with  the 
way  I  feel  toward  you.  I  love  you  ever  so 


NORAII    BOKINE.  107 

much,  and  I  don't  want  to  tell  you  anything 
to  make  you  feel  bad." 

"  Didn't  I  ever  make  you  feel  bad  ?  " 

"Yes,  but  I  don't  think  you  meant  to." 

"  Perhaps  I  didn't,  but  more  likely  I  didn't 
care." 

K I  guess  one  matter  with  you  is,  you  don't 
want  folks  to  love  you." 

"  Yes  I  do  want  to  be  loved  too.  I  want 
everybody  to  love  me  ;  "  and  this  passionate 
exclamation  ended  with  a  half-stifled  sob. 
"Don't  you  suppose  love  is  just  as  good  to 
me  as  it  is  to  you  ?  " 

"  It  don't  seem  as  though  it  could  be.  You 
act  almost  the  same  as  if  you  put  out  your 
hands  to  push  everybody  away." 

"  That's  because  —  because  —  I  can't  tell 
it.  It  hurts  me,  so  I  can't." 

"Do  tell,"  urged  Jessie.  "It  don't  hurt 
you  so  when  somebody  else  knows  just  how 
you  feel.  I  used  to  tell  Miss  Greenleaf  my 
troubles,  and  then  I  felt  better." 

"Well,  I'll  tell  you.  I'm  Irish,  and  my 
father  was  a  wicked  man,  and  he  ran  away, 


108  HAKOLD    DORSE Y'S   FORTUNE. 

and  I  guess  he  i^  dead.  I  hope  he  is  too. 
Mother  don't  talk  about  him ;  but  she  tells 
me  sometimes  that  I  look  like  him,  and  I 
think  that  is  dreadful.  Besides  that,  we  are 
poor.  Now  you  know." 

"  I  know  you  look  real  handsome.  Every- 
body says  so.  It  is  real  bad  to  have  a  father 
that  is  a  drunkard.  I  know,  and  I  have  been 
a  great  deal  poorer  than  you  ever  were. 
I  didn't  have  any  mother  or  grandmother 
either ;  and  when  my  father  came  to  see  me, 
he  was  so  bad  it  made  me  sorrier  than  when 
I  was  all  alone.  Why  he  let  me  be  real 
hungry  after  my  mother  died ;  and  then  he 
carried  me  off  where  I  didn't  know  anybody, 
and  left  me  with  a  woman  that  made  me  work 
awful  hard.  I  used  to  cry  myself  to  sleep  in 
a  little  dark  place  every  night.  Oh  dear  !  I 
don't  like  to  tell  it;  and  I  wouldn't,  only  so 
you  can  know  you  haven't  been  so  poor  as  I 
have.  Father  took  me  away  from  that  place, 
and  then  I  went  where  I  could  go  to  school 
to  Miss  Greenleaf.  It  was  a  great  deal  better 
there,  but  I  had  to  work  hard.  The  woman 


NOR  AH    BORINE.  109 

I  lived  with  was  poor,  and  she  had  to  work 

hard  herself,  but  she  didn't  scold  me  much. 

Sometimes  she  kissed  me,  and  that  made  me 

almost  happy." 

"Jessie  Elliot,  have  you  been  telling  me 

the  real  truth?" 

"  Yes  I  have.     I  never  tell  lies." 

"  Then  don't  you  hate  your  father  ?  " 

"  No,  I  love  him.     He  is  the  best  father  in 

the  world.     I  always  loved  him  and  prayed 

for  him." 

"  What  made  him  change  ?  " 

"  He  stopped  drinking  anything  bad,  and 

tried  to  do  just  right.     Then  he  came  here, 

and  everybody  grows  better  here.     Now  he 

is  a  Christian." 

"  What  is  it  to  be  a  Christian  ?  " 

"  It  is  to  love  God,  and  pray  to  Him,  and 

do  as  the  Bible  tells  you.     You  can't  do  that 

unless  you  read  the  Bible,  so  to  know  what  is 

in  it." 

"I'm  afraid  I  shan't  ever  be  a  Christian. 

If  my  father  is  alive  anywhere,  and  he  should 

get  to  be  a  Christian,  would  he  be  good,  like 

your  father  ?  " 


110         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"He  would  be  good,  but  I  don't  suppose  he 
would  be  like  my  father,  any  more  than  you 
can  be  like  me." 

"  You  have  told  me  one  thing  that  makes 
me  different ;  now  tell  me  another." 

"  I  will  if  you  want  me  to.  You  act  cross, 
just  as  though  you  almost  hated  us  and  didn't 
want  us  to  come  near  you.  You  know  it  was 
ever  so  long  before  you  liked  Miss  Austen." 

"  Xo  it  wasn't.  I  liked  her  real  quick,  but 
I  thought  she  wouldn't  want  such  a  poor  child 
as  I  arn  'round  her,  unless  it  was  because 
she  pitied  me  ;  and  I  won't  be  pitied.  Why, 
I  could  just  kneel  down  to  Miss  Austen  and 
Miss  Greenleaf,  I  love  them  so." 

"  Then  why  don't  you  act  out  your  love  ?  " 

M  I  should  be  afraid  they  wouldn't  like  it." 

"  Why  don't  you  treat  the  boys  better?  It 
is  too  bad  of  you,  Norah,  when  they  are  so 
good,  and  want  to  help  you.  They  like  you 
too/' 

"No,  they  don't.  They  can't.  I  suppose 
they  pity  me.  What  should  they  like  me 
for?  I'd  help  them,  if  I  could,  but  I  don't 


NOR  AH    BOKINE.  Ill 

want  them  to  help  me.  They  are  all  Chris- 
tians, aint  they?  " 

"  I  hope  so,  and  of  course  they  want  to  be 
good  and  kind  to  everybody.  What  do  you 
suppose  makes  me  like  you  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  and  any  way  you  can't  like 
me  as  well  as  I  do  you.  When  I  love  any- 
body, I  —  I — ."  Here  words  failed,  and 
tears  testified  to  the  intensity  of  Xorah's 
emotion.  "I  aint  crying  for  anything,  only 
because  I  can't  help  it,"  she  said  at  length, 
and  waiting  a  moment,  she  asked :  "  Have 
you  told  me  all  the  things  that  make  me  dif- 
ferent from  other  girls  ?  " 

"  No,  I  haven't,"  answered  Jessie  decid- 
edly. "  I  wouldn't  either,  if  you  didn't  feel 
so  bad  ;  because  I  don't  know  but  it  will 
make  you  too  proud.  You  are  handsomer 
and  smarter  than  any  other  girl  I  know  of. 
You  can  do  things  quicker  and  nicer,  and 
you  always  understand  in  a  minute." 

"  I  don't  see  how  that  can  be  true.  When 
I  look  in  the  iHass  I  ahvavs  think  I'm  so 


112          HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

homely  there  can't  anybody  like  me.  Why, 
I'm  real  black  beside  you." 

:'  Your  skin  is  dark,  but  it  is  just  as  clear 
and  smooth  as  can  be.  Your  hair  and  your 
eyes  are  black,  just  as  they  ought  to  be  to  go 
with  your  face.  They  are  handsome,  too ; 
only  when  you  get  mad  your  eyes  are  almost 
ugly." 

The  flash  came,  liut  with  a  great  effort 
Norah  restrained  herself,  asking  with  an 
earnestness  really  pathetic, 

"  Does  anybody  besides  you  think  so  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  have  heard  them  talk  about  it,  and 
I  know,"  was  replied. 

"  It  don't  seem  as  though  it  could  be  so. 
Where  we  lived,  before  we  came  here,  the 
boys  made  fun  of  me  because  I'm  so  black." 

"  Is  that  why  you  don't  like  boys  ?  " 

"  Yes.  Now  I've  told  you  just  what  was 
in  my  heart.  It  kept  growing  larger  and 
larger,  like  something  choking  me  all  the 
time,  till  it  seemed  as  though  I  should  die 

*  c/ 

if  I  didn't  tell." 


NOR  AH   BORINE.  113 

"  Now  I  guess  it  will  grow  smaller.  You 
won't  care  any  more,  will  you?  " 

"  I'll  try  not  to ;  but  Avhen  I  get  mad  I 
shall  forget." 

"  Don't  get  mad." 

"How  shall  I  help  it?  It  comes  over  me 
before  I  have  time  to  think." 

"  You  must  ask  God  to  keep  you  from  it. 
Kneel  down  in  some  place  all  alone,  and  ask 
God  to  make  you  good  all  through,  and  make 
you  want  to  do  just  right.  Then  you  must 
try  to  do  right,  and  not  get  discouraged." 

"Will  God  hear  me?" 

"Just  as  sure  as  you  live  He  will.  The 
Bible  is  full  of  promises  about  that.  You 
ask  Miss  Greenleaf.  She  can  tell  you  better 
than  I  can." 

"  I  shan't  do  it,  Jessie  Elliot,  and  if  you 
tell  her  a  word  I've  said  I'll  never  speak  to 
you  again  as  long  as  I  live.  Oh  dear !  How 
could  I  forget  so  soon !  I  can't  do  right." 

"  You  haven't  asked  God  to  help  you  yet." 

"  I  can't.  I  don't  know  how.  What  shall 
I  say?" 


114         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"  Tell  Him  just  what  you  want." 

"  I  want  everything  good." 

"But  you  can't  think  of  everything  at  once. 
What  do  you  want  most  ?  " 

"  Not  to  get  so  wicked  with  my  temper." 

"  Then  that  is  the  first  thing  to  pray  for. 
Will  you?" 

"Yes,  I  will,  'though  I'm  afraid  it  won't  do 
any  good." 


THE   FIRST   PRAYER.  115 


CHAPTER  Til. 

THE    FIRST    PRAYER. 

WHEN  Norah  Borine  entered  her  home 
she  closed  and  locked  the  door,  and 
then  went  to  the  small  chamber  she  occupied 
with  her  mother.  There  was  a  crucifix  upon 
a  stand  in  the  most  remote  corner.  From  a 
nail  directly  over  it  depended  a  rosary  of 
beads,  so  often  counted  they  had  become 
worn  and  discolored.  This  corner  was  the 
oratory  in  which  Mrs.  Borine  performed  her 
devotions,  but  not  here  did  Norah  kneel. 

She  turned  away  from  the  crucifix,  and 
remained  fixed  and  motionless,  as  though 
overwhelmed  with  the  thought  of  what  she 
proposed  to  do.  Her  hands  were  clasped, 
and  her  eyes  turned  reverently  upward.  At 
length  her  lips  parted,  and  in  a  low  but  audi- 
ble voice  she  confessed  her  many  faults,  and 


116         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

asked  for  help  to  correct  them.  She  knew 
something  of  confession,  so  that  here  she  was 
not  at  fault.  Words  came  apace.  It  was  as 
if  a  fountain,  long  repressed,  had  swept  away 
all  barriers,  pouring  forth  its  waters  with  a 
strong,  steady  flow.  There  was  neither  hesi- 
tation nor  reserve.  The  suppliant  craved  the 
very  help  she  asked. 

The  shouting  of  children  in  the  street 
reminded  her  there  was  work  to  be  done ; 
and  going  below  stairs,  she  threw  wide 
open  door  and  windows,  as  if  inviting  com- 
pany. 

Miss  Greenleaf  came  in,  bringing  the 
nearly  completed  dress  Norah  hoped  to  wear 
to  the  Sunday  evening  meetings,  and  she  was 
so  happy  she  could  not  avoid  expressing  this 
hope. 

"  I  am  sure  you  would  like  the  singing, 
and  your  voice  would  be  a  great  addition," 
was  replied. 

"Would  it?"  asked  Norah,  eagerly,  still 
doubting.  "  I  know  you  never  say  only  the 


THE    FIRST   PRAYER.  117 

truth ;  but  when  anybody  praises  me  it  seems 
as  though  they  couldn't  mean  it." 

"I  mean  all  I  say  to  you,  Norah ; "  and  a 
kiss  sealed  this  assurance,  giving  the  child  a 
new  sense  of  companionship. 

When  left  alone  she  no  longer  felt  herself 
the  only  occupant  of  the  room.  While  her 
hands  were  employed,  her  heart  was  also  do- 
ing work,  the  result  of  which  would  appear 
in  the  future.  She  went  to  the  pump  for 
water,  and  there  met  Mason  Stuart,  gentle- 
manly and  polite  as  usual,  asking  the  privi- 
lege of  helping  her. 

"  It  is  kind  in  you  to  be  willing  to  do  it ; 
but  you  have  been  sick,  and  I  don't  think 
you  ought  to,"  she  replied.  "  I  am  able  to 
carry  the  water  myself.  This  is  a  light  pail 
mother  got  on  purpose  for  me." 

"  I  am  strong  enough  to  carry  such  a  pail 
as  that  full  of  water,  and  I  want  to  do  it," 
said  Mason. 

'  Then  you  may ;  "  and  there  was  a  smile 
upon  Norah's  face,  as  she  added :   "  I  don't 


118  HAROLD    DORSE Y'S    FORTUNE. 

like  to  have  anybody  help  me  very  well,  but 
it's  the  way  here." 

"  It  is  a  good  way  too.  We  all  help  each 
other  at  ho*me,  and  we  all  like  it.  "We  don't 
keep  debt  and  credit,  either ;  but  I  think  we 
come  out  pretty  near  even." 

"  But  we  shan't  come  out  even.  I  can't  do 
anything  for  anybody.  I  wish  I  could,  so  to 
make  up  for  being  cross  and  hateful.  I'm 
sorry  I've  done  so." 

"  I  wouldn't  feel  very  sorry,"  responded 
Mason  kindly.  "  Perhaps  somebody  else 
was  as  much  to  blame  as  you  were.  I  am  so 
used  to  girls  I  don't  stop  to  think  but  what 
they  are  all  my  sisters  or  cousins.  If  I  have 
done  anything  wrong,  I  hope  you  will  excuse 
me." 

"  Do  you  mean  that,  or  are  you  making 
fun  of  me?  ''  asked  the  young  girl. 

"I  mean  it,"  was  the  quick  reply.  "I  never 
make  fun  of  anybody  that  way.  It  is  a  mean 
thing  to  do,  and  I  know  better.  I  don't  want 
to  do  it  either." 


THE    FIKST    PRAYER.  1 1  !> 

"  I'm  glad  you  don't,  but  I've  seen  a  good 
many  boys  that  did." 

"  So  have  I.  I  have  seen  girls,  too,  and 
men  and  women,  that  were  always  ridiculing 
somebody.  Now  may  I  come  in  ? "  asked 
Mason  as  they  reached  Norah's  home,  he 
carrying  the  pail  of  water. 

"  It's  a  poor  place  for  a  boy  like  you  to 
come  to,  but  you  may  come  in,"  she  replied. 

"  I  have  been  in  a  great  deal  poorer  places. 
It  is  real  clean,  and  if  Aunt  Comfort  could 
see  it  she  would  say  there  are  marks  of 
good  housekeeping  here." 

"Who  is  Aunt  Comfort?" 

To  answer  this  question  required  consider- 
able time ;  and  when  a  description  had  been 
given  of  the  notable  woman,  it  was  closed 
with  a  hearty  endorsement  of  her  wisdom. 

"  And  you  like  her,  for  all  she  works  in 
the  kitchen." 

"  Of  course  I  do.  I  guess  that  is  why  I 
like  her.  The  kitchen  is  the  pleasantest 
room  in  our  house." 


120         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"We  don't  have  anything  but  a  kitchen 
and  some  bedrooms.  Isn't  that  so  little?  " 

"  It  is  a  great  deal  better  than  not  to  have 
anything  but  a  parlor  and  some  bedrooms. 
People  can  get  along  without  a  parlor,  but 
they  can't  do  without  a  kitchen.  Rufus 
Brown's  mother  don't  have  any  parlor,  but 
I  go  there  more  than  I  go  anywhere  else. 
He  is  my  best  boy  friend." 

"  And  he  is  poor  and  you  are  rich." 

"  I  am  not  a  bit  rich.  There  is  some 
money  in  the  family,  but  I  am  going  to  work 
for  my  living.  I  work  pretty  hard  now, 
sometimes,  when  I  am  well.  I  like  to. 
Don't  you  ?  " 

"  I  would  rather  go  into  the  woods,  and 
find  flowers  and  everything  pretty." 

"  So  would  I  part  of  the  time.  But  the 
good  of  working  is  that  you  are  doing  some- 
thing to  help  the  world  along.  I  would 
rather  crack  stones  than  go  into  the  woods. 
Perhaps  you  don't  know  how  pretty  stones 
are  inside?" 

"  No,  I  don't.     I  never  saw  the  inside  of 


THE    FIRST   PRAYER.  121 

any  stones.  I  never  thought  about  anything 
nice  till  since  I  came  here.  I  never  picked  a 
bit  of  moss  or  lichen,  or  went  after  flowers, 
in  all  my  life ;  only  sometimes  I  got  dande- 
lions for  greens.  I  thought  poor  folks 
couldn't  do  anything  but  work." 

;t  You  were  mistaken  in  thinking  so. 
Some  of  the  smartest  men  in  the  world 
were  dreadfully  poor  boys,  who  had  to  do 
their  studying  nights,  after  working  hard 
all  da}r.  That  is  the  way  they  learned." 
"  But  they  were  boys.  Girls  can't  do  so." 
"  Oh  yes  they  can ;  only  I  don't  think  girls 
ought  to  work  so  hard,  'though  some  do. 
Indian  women  do  all  the  hard  work,  while 
the  men  laze  'round ;  but  at  our  house  we 
calculate  to  have  the  hard  jobs  come  on  the 
boys,  where  they  belong.  My  sisters  do 
things  for  me  I  can't  do  for  myself,  and  I 
do  for  them  what  they  can't  do.  When  it 
comes  to  head  work,  a  girl's  head  is  as  good 
as  a  boy's.  That  is  what  Aunt  Margaret 
says,  and  if  her  head  isn't  as  good  as  any 
man's,  I  should  like  to  know  the  reason." 


122          HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

As  it  was  time  for  Xorah  to  prepare  sup- 
per, Mason  politely  bade  her  good-evening. 
No  sooner  had  he  gone  than  she  studied  her 
face  in  the  mirror,  still  seeing  the  same  dark 
complexion  and  coal-black  hair  which  had 
seemed  to  set  her  apart  from  others ;  turning 
away  with  a  sigh  of  regret  for  the  fair  skin 
and  golden  hair  she  so  much  coveted.  As 
yet,  there  was  no  danger  that  pride  would 
render  her  vain. 

But  alas  for  her  newly-formed  resolutions. 
The  next  morning  she  was  angry  with  her- 
self for  having  believed  what  had  been  said 
to  her,  and  formed  her  plans  for  regaining 
what  she  had  lost. 

Not  so  Harold  Dorsey,  who  was  thankful 
for  friends  and  friendly  appreciation.  As 
he  stood  with  Mr.  Peavey,  at  the  door  of 
the  cottage,  glancing  at  mountain,  hill,  and 
rock,  irradiated  by  the  sunlight,  he  felt 
within  himself  the  quickening  influence  of 
genial  surroundings.  The  transformation 
in  the  outer  world  was  a  type  of  his  own 
experience. 


THE    FIRST    PRAYER.  123 

w  I  never  saw  such  a  sudden  change  before 
in  all  my  life,"  said  the  old  man. 

"  A  week  ago  there  wa'n't  a  leaf  to  be  seen 
on  the  trees  as  big  as  a  mouse's  ear,  and  now 
they're  pretty  near  full  grown.  It's  been  a 
backward  spring ;  but  if  things  keep  on  as 
they've  begun,  the  crops  won't  be  behind  next 
August.  The  herbs  are  growing  fast  in  the 
woods,  and  I  saw  some  with  blossoms  yester- 
day. I  didn't  know  but  'twould  be  too  much 
for  me  to  take  such  a  long  walk,  but  it  did 
me  good.  I'm  stronger  than  I've  been  for 
five  years,  and  next  fall  I  expect  the  old 
farm  will  look  as  though  it  had  renewed  its 
age.  Seems  to  me  I  never  saw  the  birds  so 
busy  as  they  be  this  spring.  They're  whis- 
tling and  singing  all  the  time  ;  making  music 
such  as  there  can't  anybody  else  make." 

"  I  used  to  try  to  whistle  like  the  birds, 
when  I  was  alone  in  the  woods,  where  I 
knew  there  wouldn't  anybody  hear  me.  I 
did  it  for  company.  I  was  so  lonesome." 

:f  You  aint  so  lonesome  now,  be  you  ?  " 

"  No,  sir.     I  have  something  good  to  think 


124         HAROLD  DORSEY'S  FORTUNE. 

about,  and  then  there  is  always  somebody  to 
talk  with  me  when  I  want  to  talk.  I  am 
glad  I  came  here  last  fall." 

Presently  two  old  people  were  standing 
together  in  the  doorway  looking  after  a 
young  man  whose  tall,  athletic  figure  was 
in  itself  a  tower  of  strength.  Straight  on- 
ward he  went ;  swinging  his  arms  not  un- 
gracefully, and  vaulting  lightly  over  the 
fences  in  his  path. 

He  was  beginning  to  know  something  of 
his  own  capabilities,  and  to  dream  of  the 
possibilities  of  his  future.  He  was  no  longer 
isolated  from  the  world.  Even  the  birds  had 
for  him  a  message  of  gladness.  Every  flower 
looked  up  to  him  as  with  an  encouraging 
smile.  It  was  such  a  blessed  thing  to  feel 
that  the  Almighty  Father  was  watching  over 
him  with  loving  care  ;  how  could  he  despond 
when  all  nature  was  rejoicing? 

"  Fanning  promises  to  be  profitable  this 
season,"  remarked  Mr.  Elliot,  when  they  met 
for  their  day's  labor. 


THE   FIRST    PRAYER.  125 

"Yes,  sir;  and  it  is  pleasant  work  too," 
responded  Harold. 

"Would  you  choose  it  for  your  life  work?" 

"  I  don't  think  I  would,  but  I  don't  know 
well  enough  to  be  quite  sure,"  was  the  delib- 
erate reply  to  this  question.  "  I  have  thought 
about  it,  and  thought  I  would  just  go  on  and 
do  the  best  I  can." 

A  grand  decision.  How  much  of  trouble 
and  anxiety  would  be  saved  if  only  all  would 
just  go  on  and  do  the  best  they  can  !  How 
much  of  good,  remunerative  labor  is  lost  to 
the  world  by  p  idle  waiting ;  while  faculties 
lose  half  their  power  by  disuse,  and  spirits 
faint  for  very  weariness  ! 

Years  before,  when  Alice  Greenleaf  first 
became  conscious  of  a  nature  refusing  to  be 
satisfied  with  the  daily  routine  sufficing  for 
those  around  her,  her  spirit  rebelled  against 
the  homely  toil  necessity  forced  upon  her. 
She  could  not  close  her  eyes,  and  so  refuse 
to  see  this  toil ;  neither  could  she  put  it  aside. 
She  must  accept  it ;  and  after  a  short  strug- 
gle she  did  this  cheerfully,  finding  consola- 


126         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

tion  in  the  thought  that  her  mind  was  unfet- 
tered. 

She  studied  early  and  late.  Her  eagerness 
to  learn  fostered  habits  of  close  observation ; 
so  that  she  was  regarded  as  authority  upon 
various  subjects  but  little  understood  by  her 
neighbors.  She  saw  what  they  did  not  see, 
and  heard  what  they  did  not  hear.  Life 
grew  to  be  very  dear  to  her ;  and  as  her 
intellect  and  tastes  were  developed,  she  was 
able,  as  we  have  seen,  to  create  and  beautify 
a  home,  which  was  in  truth  a  place  of  rest 
and  enjoyment. 

Here,  in  Austenville,  she  had  much  of 
companionship.  Her  pupils  loved  her,  and 
their  parents  respected  her ;  not  only  because 
of  her  own  intrinsic  worth,  but  because  of  the 
attention  she  received  from  Miss  Austen. 
Mr.  Stuart,  too,  treated  her  with  great 
deference,  so  that  she  was  made  to  feel 
herself  a  valued  member  of  society.  The 
fact  that  she  had  taken  part  in  the  Sabbath 
evening  meetings  also  added  to  her  popu- 
larity. Mason  Stuart  was  sure  she  could 


THE    FIRST    PRAYER.  127 

teach  him  many  things  ho  needed  to  learn, 
but  this  was  not  his  time  for  study. 

"  There  goes  your  brother,  in  his  good 
clothes,"  said  Mr.  Bumstead,  one  morning, 
later  in  the  summer,  when  he  had  been  con- 
sulting Mr.  Stuart  on  business. 

"  Yes,  sir ;  and  he  values  those  clothes 
highly,"  was  replied.  "  He  can  go  where 
he  pleases  now.  When  he  was  a  little  fel- 
low he  used  to  tease  Aunt  Comfort  to  give 
him  the  very  oldest  clothes  he  had,  so  there 
would  be  no  occasion  for  finding  fault  with 
him  if  they  were  torn  or  soiled.  He  looks 
rough  this  morning,  but  it  would  spoil  his 
pleasure  if  he  he  was  obliged  to  dress  dif- 
ferently." 

"  He  is  well  enough,  Mr.  Stuart.  Such  as 
he  is  don't  need  fine  clothes.  He  is  a  gentle- 
man inside.  That  is  what  our  people  all  say, 
and  he  is  bringing  the  boys  to  think  of  their 
duty  to  God.  It  almost  broke  me  down 
the  first  time  he  talked  in  the  Sunday  meet- 
ings ;  and  he  a  boy  as  full  of  fun  as  the 
worst." 


128    HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"  Why  not,  Mr.  Bumstead !  I  should  be 
sorry  to  have  Mason  very  much  different 
from  what  he  is  now,  Avhen  he  is  in  good 
health.  His  life  is  full,  and  he  has  a  keen 
appreciation  of  fun ;  but  if  he  is  consistent, 
that  will  only  make  him  a  better  Christian. 
We  need  a  religion  that  manifests  itself  in 
every-day  life." 

"  Yes,  sir ;  and  I  am  glad  that  you  and  the 
mistress  have  it.  I'll  not  stand  in  the  way 
of  the  rest.  My  Robert  has  changed, 
'though  you  would  not  see  it  much  unless 
you  come  close  to  him.  His  mother  knows 
it  most.  Folks  say  you  preach  the  Bible 
here  seven  days  in  a  week,  and  I  am  think- 
ing it  is  better  than  the  minister  preaches, 
'though  I'll  not  speak  against  him.  I'd  not 
believed  you'd  get  me  to  church  regular  as  a 
parson ;  but  Miles  Bumstead  has  learned  a 
good  many  things  since  he  came  here.  -  We 
have  been  prospered,  Mr.  Stuart." 

tf  Yes,  sir,  thanks  to  your  management." 
"  Not  all  mine.     There's  the  mistress,  with 
a  head  as  clear  as  the  best,  and  learning  the 


THE    FIRST    PRAYER.  129 

trade  like  a  man,  only  she  don't  put  her 
hands  to  the  work.  I  mind  the  Saturday 
night  when  she  put  me  one  side,  like  the 
lady  she  is,  and  said  there  could  be  no  work 
on  Sunday.  I  said  to  myself:  'Miles  Bum- 
stead,  have  you  lived  so  long  to  be  told  by  a 
woman  what  you  must  do  ? '  but  it  was  only 
for  a  minute.  If  I'd  had  my  way  we'd  gone 
all  wrong.  You  were  both  right,  and  I  was 
mistaken  in  my  way.  You  can't  be  expect- 
ing me  to  come  'round  all  of  a  sudden ;  but 
I  hope  I'll  be  better  sometime." 

It  was  not  often  that  Mr.  Bumstead  spoke 
thus  freely  of  his  feelings,  although  his  habits 
were  much  changed.  He  was  always  in  his 
place  in  church ;  and  also  in  the  hall,  which 
scarcely  sufficed  to  accommodate  those  who 
attended  the  evening  meetings.  He  recited 
a  passage  of  Scripture  ;  sometimes  more  than 
one,  but  he  had  never  yet  declared  himself 
on  the  Lord's  side.  NOAV,  with  an  apology 
for  having  detained  Mr.  Stuart  so  long,  he 
turned  towards  the  mill. 


130   HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 


w 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

MISS    SPERRY. 

E  had  such  a  nice  breakfast  this  morn- 
ing," said  Jessie  Elliot  to  her  friend 
Norah,  as  they  walked  to  school  together. 
"  Mason  Stuart  brought  us  some  fish.  He 
and  Harold  and  Robert  went  fishing  yester- 
day, and  they  got  a  splendid  lot  of  fish." 

"  I  know  they  did.  Mason  brought  us 
some,  and  I  wanted  to  ask  Miss  Greenleaf 
to  eat  breakfast  with  us ;  but  I  was  afraid 
to,"  was  replied. 

"  Why,  Norah,  I  shouldn't  think  you 
Avould  be  a  bit  afraid.  Your  room  is  as 
clean  as  can  be,  and  it  is  a  great  deal  larger 
than  the  one  she  used  to  live  in.  I  am 
going  to  ask  her  to  take  tea  with  me  some- 
tune." 

"I  wish  I  could.      Do  you  suppose    she 


MISS    SPERRY.  131 

would  come  of  a  Sunday,  when  granny  and 
mother  are  at  home  ?  " 

"I  am  sure  she  would.  She  wouldn't 
think  it  was  wicked  visiting.  "Why  shouldn't 
she  come  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  only  —  " 

"  Norah  Borine,  you  are  the  proudest  girl 
I  ever  saw." 

"  I  haven't  a  single  thing  to  be  proud  of, 
but  Miss  Greenleaf  must  be  used  to  nicer 
things  than  we  have." 

"  She  is  used  to  nice  clean  things.  Her 
tablecloth  was  just  as  white  as  could  be ; 
but  it  was  real  coarse,  and  I  have  seen  it 
when  it  was  mended.  It  is  being  clean  that 
makes  a  house  look  nice." 

"Perhaps  it  is,  but  we  have  got  a  table- 
cloth that  is  fine  and  white,  and  not  a  patch 
on  it.  I  am  so  glad  of  that,  and  I'll  ask 
mother  and  granny." 

When  Norah  made  her  request  Mrs.  Rady 
was  more  astonished  than  ever  before.  In- 
deed, she  almost  wondered  if  she  was  the 
same  woman  whose  only  ambition  had  been 


132        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

to  provide  shelter,  food,  and  clothing  for 
herself  and  her  children.  She  was  prosper- 
ing pecuniarily.  She  could  afford  to  enter- 
tain company. 

"  I  don't  think  the  teacher  '11  be  wanting  to 
come,  but  you  can  ask  her,"  she  replied,  at 
length,  to  Norah's  importunities,  and  the 
child  hastened  to  avail  herself  of  the  privi- 
lege thus  granted. 

"  Miss  Greenleaf  will  come.  She  told  me 
she  should  be  very  glad  to  come,  and  she 
never  tells  what  isn't  true.  She  said  she 
would  come  just  as  soon  as  she  gets  home 
from  church." 

This  was  Norah's  triumphant  message, 
when  she  reported  to  her  grandmother  the 
acceptance  of  her  invitation,  adding : 

"Now  we  shall  be  like  other  folks. 
Everybody  else  has  company." 

"  We've  had  company  before  now." 

"  Yes,  granny ;  but  this  will  be  different." 

w  You're  growing  away  from  the  old 
woman,  honey,  but  I'm  not  sorry,  for  your 
own  sake.  You're  the  light  of  my  eyes, 


MISS    SPERRY.  133 

and  your  mother's  too.  You'll  not  spend 
your  days  winding  the  shuttle." 

"  I  hope  not,  granny.  I  want  to  do 
something  better." 

"  And  you  shall,  me  darling,  if  there's 
strength  left  in  me  old  bones  to  work  for 

o 

you." 

"O  granny,  how  good  you  are  to  me,  and 
how  much  I  have  to  make  me  happy  !  It 
seems  as  though  I  never  should  feel  bad 
again." 

"  Don't,  honey.  It  hurts  me  all  through 
when  you  do,  and  it  hurts  your  mother  too. 
Sure,  you  must  think  we  know  you're  dif- 
ferent from  us,  but  we  love  you." 

The  Sabbath  dawned  bright  and  beauti- 
ful, bringing  a  sense  of  restful  quiet  to  the 
dwellers  in  Austen ville.  A  larger  number 
than  usual  attended  church ;  some  walking, 
and  some  riding.  The  preacher  had  learned 
to  regard  the  mill  people  as  an  important 
part  of  his  congregation ;  while  those  who 
had  long  struggled  to  resist  the  growing 


134    HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

spirit  of  worldliness  and  indifference  to  holy 
things  took  heart  again. 

Norah  watched  impatiently  for  the  return 
of  Miss  Greenleaf,  who  came  at  last,  her 
face  wearing  the  same  pleasant  smile  which 
had  made  many  forget  its  plainness.  The 
supper  was  all  Mrs.  llady,  herself,  could 
desire.  The  guest  knew  how  to  adapt  her 
conversation  to  those  who  entertained  her, 
and  appreciating  their  kindness,  expressed 
her  appreciation  heartily. 

For  the  time,  Norah  Borine  was  perfectly 
happy.  She  listened  with  delight  to  the 
words  of  her  teacher.  She  then,  for  the 
first  time  perhaps,  recognized  the  truth  that 
there  may  be  a  diversity  of  gifts,  without 
the  possessor  of  either  rightfully  claiming 
superiority ;  so  that  her  mother  and  grand- 
mother appeared  to  her  in  a  new  light. 

"  It  is  nearly  time  for  our  evening  meet- 
ing," at  length  said  Miss  Greenleaf  after 
glancing  at  her  watch. 

"And  must  you  go?"  asked  Mrs.  Rady. 

"  I   am   never   willing   to   remain    away," 


MISS    SPERRY.  135 

was  replied  courteously.  "  Our  Sunday 
evening  meetings  help  me  through  all  the 
week." 

"  That's  what  I  hear  others  say,  and  sure 
I'm  glad  for  all  the  comfort  anybody  gets." 

"  Mother,  do  let  me  go  to-night,"  now 
said  Norah  pleadingly.  "  You  are  willing, 
aint  you,  granny  ?  " 

"It  will  be  as  your  mother  says,  'though 
I'm  thinking  you  might  go  for  once.  Miss 
Greenleaf,  you  know  we're  Catholics." 

"  It  does  not  matter  by  what  name  we  are 
(jailed,  if  we  only  love  God  supremely,  and 
our  neighbor  as  ourselves." 

"Is  that  your  religion?" 

"It  is  the  religion  I  profess." 

"  I'm  thinking  you  live  up  to  it,  and  the 
master  and  mistress  too." 

"  I  am  sure  we  intend  to  live  up  to  it. 
Thank  you  for  inviting  me  here  to-day ; 
and  now,  when  Xorah  is  ready,  we  will  go." 

There  was  no  need  of  waiting.  The  child 
was  the  more  impatient  of  the  two ;  and 


136        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

when  they  entered  the  hall  she  took  a  seat 
by  Jessie,  who  whispered : 

"  You  can  look  over  in  my  hymn-book. 
I  am  ever  so  glad  you  came." 

"  I  am  gladder  than  you  are,"  was  replied ; 
and  this  sufficed  for  their  greetings. 

There  had  never  been  such  a  meeting  in 
that  hall ;  never  such  prayers  and  such  sing- 
ing. There  were  no  long  pauses  to  dis- 
hearten and  embarrass.  Even  Norah  re- 
peated a  passage  of  Scripture  she  had 
learned  in  school  during  the  week.  She 
would  certainly  go  again,  and  when  she 
reported  to  her  mother  and  grandmother 
they  offered  no  objection. 

"  It  was  all  so  beautiful,  and  everybody 
seemed  happy,  except  the  ones  who  said 
they  had  been  doing  wrong  all  their  lives, 
and  they  were  afraid  God  wouldn't  forgive 
them.  Then  Mr.  Elliot  got  up  and  told 
them  God  would  forgive  them  if  they  asked 
him ;  so  they  needn't  feel  bad  any  more, 
if  they  would  only  try  and  do  the  best  they 
could  the  rest  of  the  time.  It  seemed  as 


MISS    SPEKIIY.  137 

though  he  meant  me  with  the  rest.  Any 
way,  I  am  going  to  try  and  do  as  right  as 
I  can ;  and  I  wish,  mother,  you  would  buy 
me  a  Testament  for  my  own,  so  I  needn't 
always  have  to  look  over  with  Jessie  to  read 
my  verse.  Mr.  Gatchell  has  got  some  real 
pretty  Testaments.  I  saw  them  there  the 
other  day,  and  I  heard  him  tell  somebody 
he  had  sold  lots  of  them." 

"Would  you  mind,  mother  ?"  asked  Mrs. 
Borine. 

"  No  ;  let  the  child  have  one.  We're  not 
that  poor  that  she  must  borrow  of  a  neigh- 
bor," answered  Mrs.  Rady. 

So  Mr.  Gatchell  sold  another  Testament 
the  next  day,  wondering,  as  he  did  so,  who 
would  not  buy.  Testaments  seemed  to  have 
taken  the  place  of  liquors,  and  the  store  was 
fast  becoming  popular  throughout  the  town. 
People  who  came  to  see  how  the  mill  neigh- 
borhood had  changed  were  almost  sure  to 
visit  Gatchcll's. 

" Is  this  the  store,  same  as  it  used  to  be?" 
asked  a  poor  woman  who  had  walked  three 


138         HAKOLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

miles  to  K  do  some  trading  and  look  'round 
a  little." 

"  It's  the  same  house,  and  I'm  mostly  the 
same  man,"  replied  the  storekeeper.  "  Sit 
down  and  rest  you.  You  must  be  tired." 

"  I  am.  I've  been  tired  before  when  I 
came  here,  but  you  didn't  ask  me  to  sit 
down.  Who  is  that  boy  going  by?" 

"That's  Mason  Stuart,  Miss  Austen's 
nephew,  and  the  widest-awake  boy  there  is 
in  ten  states.  Good,  too,  as  the  best." 

"  Is  he  the  pious  one  that  talks  in  meet- 
ing?" 

"  He  talks  in  meeting,  and  he's  a  Chris- 
tian ;  one  of  the  golden-rule  sort ;  ready  to 
lend  a  helping  hand  to  anybody  that 
needs  it." 

"  I  wish  some  of  that  sort  would  come 
our  way.  There  aint  no  very  near  neigh- 
bors, and  it  seems  sometimes  as  though  I 
was  clear  out  of  the  world.  I've  been 
wanting  to  come  over  here  ever  since  the 
snow  went  off;  but  I've  had  work  to  do, 
and  I  must  improve  my  time.  Then  I 


MISS    SPERRY.  139 

thought  I'd  try  and  bring  a  dozen  puir  of 
socks  when  I  earnc ;  so  I  waited  to  finish 
them  up.  They're  nice  ones,  Mr.  Gatchell, 
made  of  good  wool,  and  knit  as  well  as  I 
know  how  to  knit  them." 

This  last  remark  was  made  as  the  socks 
were  diplayed  and  examined. 

"  They're  good  enough  for  anybody,  Miss 
Sperry,  and  they're  just  what  Miss  Austen 
will  want  for  Mr.  Stuart.  She  was  looking- 
for  some  here  last  winter,  and  she'll  buy 
them  just  as  soon  as  if  he  wanted  to  wear 
them  now.  I  know  she'll  be  glad  to  take 
half  of  them,  and  likely  she'll  pay  you  more 
than  I  can  afford  to.  I  shouldn't  think 
strange  either  if  }rou  found  a  market  for  the 
whole.  She'll  pay  money,  too,  and  then 
you'll  have  it  in  your  hand  to  do  what 
you're  a  mind  to  with.  Mr.  Bumstcad  is 
getting  particular  about  what  he  wears ; 
and  then  there  is  Mr.  Elliot,  who  knows 
the  difference  between  coarse  and  fine  as 
well  as  Mr.  Stuart  himself.  You  better 


140         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

go  over  to  the  great  house  when  you  get 
rested." 

"Don't  you  want  the  socks,  Mr.  Gatchell?" 

"  Yes,  Miss  Sperry,  I  do.  I'm  ready  to 
take  every  pair  of  them,  but  I  think  you 
could  do  better  with  Miss  Austen.  I'm 
advising  you  for  your  own  good.  Go  over 
there  and  sell  your  socks  for  money,  and  I'll 
sell  you  what  you  want  to  buy,  as  cheap  as  I 
can  any  way  afford  to,  and  send  the  things 
over  to  your  house  sometime  this  week. 
There'll  be  a  chance,  or  if  there  aint  I'll 
make  one." 

The  poor  woman  looked  the  surprise  she 
felt,  and  her  companion,  interpreting  the 
look,  made  reply : 

"  It's  pretty  hard  for  you  to  believe 
that  I'm  looking  out  for  your  interest  in- 
stead of  my  own." 

"  Well,  Mr.  Gatchell,  I  aint  going  to  say 
but  what  you've  guessed  right  about  that. 
Storekeepers  generally  want  the  best  end 
of  a  bargain." 

"  They   do ;    and    perhaps    I've    been    as 


MISS    SPERRY.  141 

hard  as  any  of  them,  but  I  calculate  now 
to  trade  fair.  If  I  didn't,  I  couldn't  do 
much  in  this  neighborhood.  I'll  take  your 
socks  and  allow  you  every  cent  I  can  get 
for  them,  but  you  better  carry  them  to 
market  yourself." 

"  I  aint  used  to  grand  folks,  Mr.  Gatchell. 
I'd  'most  as  lief  sell  them  under  price, 
poor  as  I  am,  as  to  go  over  there.  I  need 
all  I  can  get,  everybody  knows.  Cousin 
Esther's  at  work;  but  I  don't  want  to  de- 
pend on  her,  if  I  did  give  her  a  home  when 
she  hadn't  anywhere  to  go." 

"  You  did  well  for  her,  and  she's  a  good 
girl.  She  had  better  come  over  here  and 
work  in  the  mill.  She  can  earn  more  than 
she  can  doing  anything  else,  except  teaching 
school." 

"  That's  what  she  wants  to  do,  but  she 
haint  got  learning  enough.  She  haint  had 
much  chance  for  schooling.  Her  father 
didn't  think  there  was  any  need  of  her 
going  to  school,  and  when  she  lived  with 
me  there  wasn't  much  for  her  to  go  to. 


142         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

Now  I'll  take  your  advice  and  go  to  the 
great  house,  'though  my  mind  misgives 
me  that  it's  no  place  for  such  as  I  am." 

Slowly  and  reluctantly  the  woman  went 
on  her  way ;  so  little  accustomed  to  the 
sight  of  strangers,  and  having  so  little  con- 
fidence in  herself,  that  it  cost  her  a  painful 
effort  even  to  decide  to  call  upon  Miss 
Austen.  Fortunately  she  was  expected ; 
Mr.  Gatchell  having  had  an  opportunity 
to  tell  Mason  Stuart  in  regard  to  her. 

"  I  just  sent  your  Aunt  Margaret  a  visi- 
tor," said  the  storekeeper,  as  he  beckoned 
to  Mason,  who  was  passing.  "  She's  going 
down  the  road  now ;  a  good,  clever  soul 
as  ever  was,  'thougl?  she  haint  had  much 
chance  to  be  anybody.  She's  got  a  dozen 
pair  of  mens'  socks,  as  nice  as  I  ever  saw, 
and  I  thought  she  might  find  a  market  for 
them  at  your  house.  She  needs  all  the 
money  she  can  get.  She  lives  off  from  the 
main  road,  and  has  a  pretty  lonesome  time 
of  it,  besides  being  poor.  I  thought  you 


MISS    SPERRY.  143 

might  tell  your  aunt  about  her  if  you  get 
home  first." 

"  I  will ;  and  I  will  be  sure  to  get  home 
first." 

It  was  easy  to  do  this.  Miss  Sperry 
walked  more  slowly,  stopping  at  last  and 
turning  half  around,  as  if  to  retrace  her 
steps.  But  she  did  not  go  back,  although 
Miss  Austen  waited  several  minutes  for  her 
appearance. 

The  instant  her  timid  rap  was  heard 
Mason  went  to  the  door  and  invited  her 
into  the  sitting-room,  where  the  lady  whose 
presence  she  had  feared  met  her  so  cordially 
she  soon  forgot  all  embarrassment.  Her 
knitting  was  praised,  and  the  socks  pur- 
chased at  a  higher  price  than  she  had  dared 
to  hope.  Seated  in  a  comfortable  arm-chair, 
her  heavy  bonnet  laid  aside,  her  homely  face 
was  lighted  up  with  a  smile  of  contentment 
and  satisfaction. 

"  AVell,  Miss  Sperry,  you've  made  quite  a 
visit,"  said  Mr.  Gate-hell  when  she  again 
entered  the  store.  "  You  look  ten  years 


144         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

younger  than  you  did  this  morning,  and  I 
guess  you  feel  so  too.  You've  got  rested, 
haint  you  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  have,  and  I've  had  the  best  visit 
I  ever  had  in  my  life.  I  never  saw  any- 
thing like  it.  I  was  just  taken  in  and 
treated  as  if  I'd  been  a  lady.  Miss  Aus- 
ten took  all  my  socks,  and  paid  me  more 
than  I  ever  got  before.  I  thank  you  for 
sending  me  there." 

"  I  knew  you'd  be  glad  you  went  there, 
and  I  expect,  now,  you'll  believe  I  was  look- 
ing out  for  your  advantage  instead  of  my 
own." 

"  Yes,  I  will.  But,  you  see,  I  wan't  ex- 
pecting it,  'though  folks  say  you've  changed 
a  good  deal  since  the  mill  started  up.  When 
Tom  Gray  lived  in  the  old  house  next  to 
mine,  the  one  that  tumbled  down,  I  thought 
you  were  pretty  hard  with  him.  Anyway, 
he  spent  most  of  his  earnings  here,  without 
his  family  being  much  better  off  for  it." 

"  They're  better  off  for  what  he  spends 
here  now.  The  truth  is,  we've  both 


MISS    SPERRY.  145 

changed,  and  it  aint  for  the  worse  either. 
Now  what  can  I  sell  you  this  afternoon  ?  " 

Her  purchases  were  not  large,  yet  they 
were  more  than  she  could  carry  without 
inconvenience,  and  a  neighbor  coming  in, 
he  offered  to  take  her  and  her  bundles 
home,  so  that  she  was  spared  the  fatigue 
of  walking.  It  had  been  a  good  day,  and 
the  evening  was  enlivened  by  the  memory 
of  the  kindness  she  had  received. 

Her  frugal  supper  gained  a  new  relish, 
and  as  the  rays  of  the  setting  sun  brightened 
her  plain  room,  she  thought  how  much  she 
had  for  which  to  be  thankful.  A  single  act 
of  kindness,  with  a  few  cordial  words  spoken 
from  the  heart,  and  so  reaching  another  heart, 
had  stirred  her  best  and  deepest  feelings. 

Mr.  Gatchell  would  have  wondered  much 
had  he  known  what  record  was  set  over 
against  his  name,  for  having  once  regarded 
his  neighbor  rather  than  himself.  Miss 
Austen,  wise  as  she  was,  did  not  dream 
of  the  good  she  had  wrought  while  doing 

only    what    was    a   pleasure    for  her  to    do. 

10 


146        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

Mason,  however,  seemed  to  have  some  idea 
of  it,  when  he  said  : 

"  Aunt  Margaret,  the  money  you  gave 
Miss  Sperry  wasn't  the  .best  thing  you  gave 
her." 

"AVhat  was  it,  the  dinner?" 

"  Xo,  ma'am ;  'though  I'm  sure  she  liked 
that,  especially  the  tea.  You  made  her 
feel  that  she  was  of  some  account,  as  Aunt 
Comfort  says.  She  looked  dreadfully  poor 
and  discouraged  when  she  came  in,  and 
when  she  went  out  she  looked  real  happy. 
I  hope,  when  I  grow  up,  I  can  make  folks 
happy." 

"I  expect  you  will.  All  that  is  necessary 
is  to  show  them  the  bright  side  of  things." 

"But  some  people  won't  see  the  bright 
side.  There  is  Uncle  Fielding.  He  will 
make  a  dark  side  anywhere.  He  is  always 
fretting,  and  tiring  everybody.  It  is  hard 
for  Dick  and  all  the  rest  of  them.  Hester 
said  he  almost  made  up  his  mind  he  wouldn't 
let  his  family  come  up  here  this  summer. 
I  am  not  going  to  say  .anything  more  about 


MISS    SPERRY.  147 

him,"  added  the  speaker,  deprecating  a  re- 
proof. "  That  was  in  a  private  note,  Hes- 
ter didn't  expect  any  one  else  to  know  about, 
but  I  never  can  keep  anything  from  you 
very  long.  I  shall  be  ever  so  glad  to  see 
them  all,  'though  when  they  come  I  must 
begin  to  think  about  going  home." 


148         HAKOLD  DOESEY'S  FORTUNE. 


CHAPTEE  IX. 

A   SUMMER   VACATION. 

WHEN  Mrs.  Stuart  reached  the  rail- 
road station  where  she  was  to  stop 
with  her  company  of  young  people,  the  first 
to  meet  her  was  Mason,  sun-browned  and 
radiant. 

"  O  mother,  I'm  so  glad  to  see  you,"  he 
exclaimed,  throwing  his  arms  around  her. 
"I  am  glad  to  see  all  the  rest  of  you,"  he 
added  directly,  giving  each  a  hearty  hand- 
shake, "with  kisses  thrown  in,"  as  Clarke 
afterwards  described  the  welcome. 

Edward  Stuart  was  detained  at  the  mill; 
but  Mr.  Bumstead,  who  had  come  in  his 
place,  was  equal  to  the  occasion.  Mason 
observed  his  brother  closely,  as  the  latter 
was  introduced  to  the  stout,  good-natured 


A   SUMMER  VACATION. 

Harold  Dorsey,  p.  149. 


A    SUMMER    VACATION.  149 

Englishman,  and  decided  that  Clarke  had 
left  fancy  manners  behind  him. 

"  How  you  have  grown ! "  was  the  ex- 
clamation which  greeted  the  country  boy  on 
every  side ;  while  he,  in  turn,  had  his 
criticisms  to  make. 

"Are  we  all  going  in  that  big  wagon?" 
asked  Sadie. 

"  Yes,  every  one  of  us,  trunks  and  all," 
was  the  reply. 

"  There's  plenty  of  room  and  plenty  of 
strength,"  added  Mr.  Bumstead,  who  had 
overheard  the  question.  "  Our  carriage 
never  gets  too  full  except  of  a  Sunday. 
It's  a  carriage  when  the  floor  is  carpeted, 
and  a  wagon  the  rest  of  the  time.  Likely 
there  will  be  a  coach  when  the  right  time 
comes,  but  there  can  never  be  better  horses." 

Ample  room  was  found  for  all,  and  despite 
their  load,  these  horses  started  forward  at  a 
brisk  trot.  It  was  a  lovely  day.  Hillsides 
were  clothed  with  richest  verdure,  while 
vallies  lay  fair  and  green  in  the  mellow  light. 
Here  and  there  was  the  sparkle  of  water, 


150         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

at  rest,  or  flowing  between  flower-fringed 
banks. 

Exclamations  of  delight  followed  each 
other  in  rapid  succession.  Madge  saw  every 
bird  which  flitted  by,  and  turned  a  question- 
ing glance  towards  every  shrub  and  tussock 
of  grass  where  a  nest  might  be  concealed. 
Hester  saw  butterflies,  dragon-flies,  and 
bees ;  while  Dick  Fielding  remarked  upon 
the  luxuriant  and  graceful  growth  of  forest 
trees. 

:'  There  is  our  house,"  said  Mason,  when 
the  white  chimnies  could  be  seen.  "  If  you 
could  look  into  the  kitchen  you  would  see 
busy  work  there.  I  used  to  think  Aunt 
Comfort  could  do  better  for  a  hungry  boy 
than  anybody  else ;  but  Mrs.  Bumstead  can 
do  just  as  well.  Austenville  is  a  grand  place, 
and  the  people  here  are  all  'number  one.' 
Miss  Austen  is  a  lady,  and  Mr.  Stuart  is  a 
gentleman,  and  this  is  where  they  are  appre- 
ciated." 

Miss  Austen  stood  upon  the  piazza  to 
receive  her  guests,  the  youngest  first  claim- 


A    SUMMER    VACATION.  151 

ing  attention.  Mrs.  Bumstead  remained  in 
her  own  province,  which  was  presently  in- 
vaded by  a  bevy  of  girls. 

"  Six,  and  every  one  welcome,  'though 
I'm  not  knowing  how  ever  I'll  get  along 
with  you,"  she  said  smilingly  after  all  had 
been  introduced.  "  I've  only  had  boys,  but 
I've  been  longing  for  girls  my  whole  life." 

"  And  you  will  have  them  now,  Mrs. 
Bumstead.  You  will  like  them  too.  I  do." 

A  shout  of  laughter  followed  Mason's 
frank  confession,  and  a  clamor  of  voices 
drowned  whatever  explanation  he  might 
have  made,  until  he  joined  in  the  general 
merriment. 

Edward  Stuart  hastened  to  the  house, 
impatient  to  see  the  dear,  familiar  faces  of 
brother,  sisters,  and  cousins,  yet  longing 
most  of  all  for  his  mother. 

"My   son!" 

She  could  say  no  more  ;  so  like  was  he  to 
what  his  father  had  been,  when  she,  as  Mary 
Austen,  watched  for  the  coming  of  one  whose 
presence  filled  her  heart  with  joy. 


152     HAROLD  DORSE Y'S  FORTUNE. 

w  You  have  changed  very  much,"  she  said 
soon  after,  when  he  seated  himself  beside 
her.  "  You  have  lost  the  scholarly  look 
Avhich  marked  your  face  a  year  ago." 

"And  gained  something  in  its  place? "he 
questioned. 

tr  Yes,  you  are  looking  more  like  your 
father.  I  was  very  ambitious  for  you,  but 
I  suppose  it  was  best  that  you  should  give 
up  your  books.  I  hope  you  will  not  re- 
gret it  when  you  are  older." 

"  There  is  no  danger  that  I  shall.  I  was 
never  more  ambitious,  and  never  more  sure 
of  reaching  the  goal  of  my  ambition.  But 
we  can  talk  of  that  another  time.  There 
is  the  supper  bell." 

Robert's  introduction  came  last,  and  a 
severe  ordeal  it  was,  notwithstanding  Ma- 
son's encouraging  words. 

K  You  will  be  obliged  to  see  the  girls, 
and  you  may  as  well  speak  to  them  now 
as  ever,"  said  the  importunate  boy.  "  You 
will  get  used  to  them  in  a  little  while,  and 
like  them  tiptop.  If  you  don't,  I  shan't 


A    SUMMER    VACATION.  153 

think  much  of  you  any  way.  You  can't 
help  it.  There  they  are  all  together. 
Come.  I  know  Hester  and  Sadie  and 
Lilla  will  want  to  see  your  chickens  put 
to  bed." 

What  Eobert  said,  or  whether  he  said 
anything,  when  the  different  names  were 
called,  he  could  not  tell ;  but  later,  he 
proved  himself  fully  competent  to  answer 
all  questions  in  regard  to  the  doves  and 
chickens,  which  were  his  especial  pride. 

The  resources  of  the  house  had  not  been 
overestimated.  There  was  no  need  to  send 
Maspn  to  the  barn,  although  he  would  not 
have  considered  it  a  hardship  to  sleep  upon 
the  fragrant  hay.  He  was  early  astir  the 
next  morning,  going  into  the  kitchen  soon 
after  the  fire  was  lighted  in  the  large 
cooking-stove. 

"  I  was  so  wide  awake  I  couldn't  keep 
still  another  minute,"  he  replied  to  Mrs, 
Bumstead's  expressions  of  surprise  at  see- 
ing him.  "  There  is  so  much  to  be  done, 


154         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

I  must  get  a  good  start ;  and  there  is  Dick 
too." 

"  Good-morning,  Mason.  I  hope  you  are 
well  this  morning." 

"  I  am  very  Well,  and  in  no  need  of  medi- 
cine ;  but  there  are  lots  of  things  I  want  to 
talk  about  with  you.  Sit  down  and  make 
yourself  at  home,  and  tell  me  if  you  have 
seen  Rufe  Brown  lately." 

"  I  went  to  his  mother's  the  evening  before 
we  left  home,  so  that  I  could  bring  you  the 
latest  news.  He  is  working  hard ;  but  he 
says  it  pays,  and  he  hopes  to  go  to  school 
next  winter.  He  keeps  up  with  his  classes, 
and  learns  a  good  many  things  not  put  down 
in  the  books." 

"  He  always  did  that.  He  hasn't  written 
to  me  for  ever  so  long,  but  I  know  we  are 
just  as  good  friends  as  we  ever  were.  When 
I  am  sure  of  people,  I  don't  need  to  have 
them  keep  telling  me  they  love  me  all  the 
time ;  'though  I  think  it  does  a  fellow  good 
to  hear  it  once  in  a  while,  don't  you,  Dick?" 

"  Yes,   I   do ;    but  you   can   trust   Rufus. 


A    SUMMER   VACATION.  155 

lie  said  he  had  intended  to  write  to  you ; 
but  when  he  gets  home  at  night,  tired  as 
he  is,  he  studies  his  lessons,  and  sometimes 
goes  to  sleep  over  his  books." 

"  I  know  how  he  does,  and  he  is  a  splendid 
fellow.  Has  he  a  good  garden  ?  " 

"  Very  good,  and  the  best  piece  of  corn  I 
ever  saw.  It  is  only  a  small  piece,  but  he 
will  have  a  splendid  crop.  It  is  a  Avonder  to 
me  how  he  crowds  so  much  into  the  days 
so  many  other  people  spend  in  idleness." 

"  It  is  because  he  is  made  of  the  right  stuff. 
I  like  to  help  him  when  I  can,  and  he  helps 
himself  so  much,  it  is  easy  to  do  it.  A  good 
many  want  you  to  do  the  whole.  They  are 
the  kind  Aunt  Comfort  calls  shiftless.  I 
should  think  Rufe  Brown  better  come  here, 
if  he  wasn't  needed  where  he  is.  I  shouldn't 
wonder  if  you  want  to  stay  here  yourself. 
Everybody  amounts  to  something  here.  The 
days  go  by  so  fast  a  fellow  has  to  hurry  to 
keep  up.  I  couldn't  when  I  first  came,  but  I 
can  now." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  that.     I  thought  you 


156         HAROLD  DOKSEY'S  FORTUNE. 

would  gain  faster  here  than  at  home.  We 
were  anxious  about  you.  If  we  had  lost 
you,  there  would  have  been  a  vacant  place 
in  our  circle  no  one  else  could  fill." 

"  It  would  have  been  all  right,  but  I  am 
glad  you  are  not  to  lose  me.  I  don't  think 
people  know  half  how  grand  a  thing  it  is  to 
be  alive  in  such  a  beautiful  world  as  this. 
I  never  thought  so  much  about  it  till  this 
summer ;  and  now,  if  I  don't  fill  every  day 
full  of  something  good  for  myself  or  some- 
body else,  it  will  be  because  I  can't.  I  used 
to  have  the  queerest  feelings  after  I  fell  into 
the  water.  It  seemed  as  though  something  I 
wanted  to  keep  was  slipping  away  from  me, 
and  I  got  so  tired  trying  to  hold  it,  I  was 
almost  ready  to  give  up.  You  can't  think 
just  how  it  was,  but  you  may  as  well  remem- 
ber about  it." 

"  I  will.  No  bit  of  knowledge  ever  comes 
amiss." 

"  But  Aunt  Margie  says  there  are  some 
things  we  better  not  know.  She  burned 
some  of  Uncle  William's  books  last  week, 


A    SUMMER   VACATION.  157 

because  she  didn't  want  any  one  to  read 
them.  There  are  plenty  of  good  books  left, 
and  Aunt  Margie  is  going  to  have  a  library 
for  the  mill  people.  The  Thursday  evening 
meetings  will  begin  again  this  fall.  You  will 
go  to  the  Sunday  evening  meetings  while  you 
are  here,  and  you  will  be  expected  to  take  a 
part  in  them.  You  will  want  to,  too,  if  you 
are  a  Christian,  and  I  hope  you  are.  You 
ought  to  be." 

"  That  is  true.  But  I  have  not  inquired 
about  your  ankle.  Does  it  trouble  you?" 

"  Not  a  bit.  I  can  tramp  as  many  miles  as 
you  can ;  and  that  makes  me  think  that  we 
are  planning  for  a  week  in  the  woods,  if  we 
can  get  Mr.  Elliot  and  Harold  Dorsey  to  go 
with  us.  I  want  you  to  get  at  Harold  Dor- 
sey the  first  thing.  It  took  me  a  good  while, 
but  it  won't  take  you  long.  There  is  Mr. 
Elliot  in  his  garden.  He  is  the  busiest  man 
I  ever  saw.  He  can  do  almost  anything, 
besides  being  a  splendid  scholar.  Halloo  ! 
There  is  Clarke.  The  house  must  be  waking 
up.  When  the  second  bell  rings  everybody 


158        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

in  the  village  will  begin  to  move,  and  when 
the  third  bell  rings  everything  in  the  mill 
will  start  up  with  a  whir  and  a  buzz.  You 
will  all  want  to  go  down  to  the  mill  and  see 
how  things  look  there." 

It  was  the  chief  place  of  interest,  and,  with 
the  exception  of  Mrs.  Stuart,  the  visitors 
went  through  the  old  stone  mill ;  while  Ma- 
son described  and  explained  the  entire  pro- 
cess of  manufacturing. 

"  Who  is  agent  of  this  concern?"  at  length 
asked  Clarke. 

"  Aunt  Margaret,  and  I  am  her  confiden- 
tial clerk,"  was  the  quick  reply.  "  If  you 
ever  arrive  at  such  honor,  you  may  think 
yourself  fortunate.  There  is  Harold  Dorsey 
the  other  side  of  the  brook.  You  can  take  a 
good  look  at  him  and  see  what  sort  of  fellows 
are  brought  up  in  the  woods.  It  will  pay 
you  to  cultivate  his  acquaintance.  If  we  try 
camping  out,  you  will  be  glad  to  have  him 
somewhere  'round,  and  it  is  just  possible 
you  know  some  things  he  would  be  glad  to 
learn." 


A    SUMMER    VACATION.  159 

"He  has  a  figure  to  be  proud  of,"  re- 
sponded Clarke  Stuart,  watching  the  young 
man  striding  across  the  meadow,  so  lightly 
clad  that  his  well-knit  form  was  displayed  to 
the  best  advantage.  "  I  wonder  if  he  knows 
how  to  appreciate  himself?  " 

"  He  does  know  that  exactly.  He  knows 
he  was  made  to  be  of  use  in  the  world,  and 
he  takes  hold  of  hard  work  without  gloves, 
lie  is  splendid,  but  you  will  need  to  go  more 
than  half  way  if  you  want  to  get  acquainted 
with  him.  You  won't  find  anybody  here 
very  anxious  to  gain  your  favor,  and  it  is 
the  poorest  place  to  put  on  airs  you  ever 
saw." 

The  words  had  been  spoken,  and  the 
speaker  was  relieved  of  further  responsi- 
bility, but  Clarke  Stuart  hardly  needed  the 
enforcement  of  a  lesson  he  was  fast  learning 
by  observation.  He  wondered  at  the  friend- 
liness and  courtesy  between  those  in  such 
different  positions,  yet  he  was  too  wise  to 
give  utterance  to  his  thoughts  ;  and  before 
the  day  had  passed  his  wonder  changed  to 


160         HAROLD  DORSEY'S  FORTUNE. 

admiration.     All  were  working  for  a  com- 
mon cause  ;  the  prosperity  of  Austen ville. 

His  aunt  seemed  to  him  a  grander  woman 
than  when  she  reigned  in  the  dear  old  home. 
He  was  deeply  impressed  with  his  brother's 
superiority,  and  the  unostentatious  manner 
in  which  every  duty  was  performed.  For 
the  first  time,  he  could  say,  with  Mason, 
that  he  was  glad  of  the  loss  which  had  neces- 
sitated a  change  of  plans  for  himself  and 
others. 

Yet  it  was  not  with  a  wholly  untroubled 
spirit  that  he  retired  to  rest  the  second  night 
after  he  arrived  at  the  great  house.  He  slept 
but  little,  rising  the  next  morning  with  a 
headache,  which,  however,  was  soon  forgot- 
ten. With  so  much  to  see  and  hear,  there 
was  little  time  to  think  of  personal  feelings. 

"What  a  romantic  history  that  fellow  has," 
he  remarked  to  his  aunt,  as  he  saw  Harold 
Dorsey  coming  towards  the  house. 

"  He  has  led  a  strange  life,"  was  replied. 
"  There  is  a  mystery  about  it  which  I  hope 
will  sometime  be  solved.  I  have  often  at- 


A    SUMMER    VACATION.  161 

tempted  to  form  some  theory  by  which  to 
account  for  the  isolation  of  an  old  man  and 
child  through  a  succession  of  years.  Mr. 
Elliot  believes  that  they  were  not  at  all  re- 
lated to  each  other." 

"What  does  Harold  think?" 

"He  told  the  people  with  whom  he  now 
finds  a  home  that  he  does  not  allow  himself 
to  think  of  it.  He  says  he  can  make  a  future 
for  himself,  and  he  is  willing  to  leave  the 
past  with  God.  In  many  ways  he  has  been 
admirably  taught,  while  in  some  things  he 
has  been  terribly  wronged." 

"You  have  interesting  characters  here  in 
Austenville.  One  would  naturally  expect  to 
find  very  commonplace  people  in  such  a  fac- 
tory village  as  this,  but  your  workmen  and 
workwomen  seem  to  be  very  much  above  the 
average." 

"  Perhaps  you  are  not  qualified  to  judge  of 
the  average.  I  certainly  was  not." 

"  Then  I  must  certainly  plead  ignorance ; 
but  I  have  always  thought  of  such  workers 
as  almost  a  part  of  the  machinery  of  a  mill." 


162         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"  You  have  been  mistaken  in  that  thousrht, 

O         7 

although,  under  some  conditions,  factory- 
workers  are  regarded  as  but  little  better 
than  machines.  Here,  in  our  little  village, 
we  intend  that  the  conditions  of  life  shall 
foster  intelligence  and  goodness.  It  is  not 
enough  that  a  man  or  woman  is  not  bad. 
Every  one  should  be  thoroughly  good." 

"And  energetic,"  added  Clarke  Stuart. 
"I  know  that  energy  is  included  in  your 
idea  of  goodness." 

"Certainly  it  is,"  answered  Miss  Austen. 
"There  are  sins  of  omission  as  well  as  of 
cowzmission ;  and  the  results  of  the  former 
may  be  as  disastrous  as  those  of  the  latter." 

"Aunt  Margie,  you  should  have  been  a 
minister.  You  would  preach  splendid  ser- 
mons." 

"  Aunt  Margie  has  always  preached  splen- 
did sermons,"  now  said  Dick  Fielding,  who 
had  heard  his  cousin's  last  remark.  "  She 
has  been  preaching  ever  since  I  can  remem- 
ber, and  she  has  preached  to  an  attentive 
congregation." 


A    SUMMER   VACATION.  163 

"  I  hope  my  sermons  will  have  their  legit- 
imate effect.  I  have  always  tried  to  live  to 
some  purpose ;  but  since  I  came  here,  I  feel 
that  I  have  only  just  begun  my  life-work. 
I  am  a  middle-aged  woman,  looking  west- 
ward ;  yet  life  is  more  to  me  now  than  ever 
before." 

"Does  that  mean  that  you  are  growing 
old  ? "  asked  Mason,  who  had  joined  the 
group. 

"  It  means  just  that,"  was  replied. 

"AVell,  Margie,  I  suppose  every  year 
counts :  but  when  you  grow  better  and 
handsomer  all  the  time,  I  shouldn't  think 
you  would  talk  about  growing  old,"  said 
the  boy,  eagerly  scanning  the  face  on  which 
he  saw  no  marks  of  age. 

This  matter  being  settled  to  his  satisfac- 
tion, he  proposed  to  his  brother  that  they 
should  make  Harold  Dorsey  a  visit ;  thus 
leaving  their  aunt  with  Dick  Fielding,  who 
remarked,  presently  : 

"  It  is  very  hard  for  me  to  be  reconciled  to 
the  fact  that  I  have  neither  part  nor  lot  in 


164         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

Austenville.  I  know  it  is  best  as  it  is,  be- 
cause in  no  other  way  could  you  have  the 
control  of  the  property  ;  but  I  feel  very 
much  as  though  another  had  sold  a  part  of 
my  birthright.  You  will  be  a  rich  woman, 
Aunt  Margaret." 

"  Possibly  ;  yet  I  did  not  come  here  that  I 
may  make  money  for  the  sake  of  hoarding  it, 
or  surrounding  myself  with  extravagant  lux- 
uries. I  wished  in  some  way  to  increase  my 
income,  and  this  property  was  waiting  to  be 
utilized.  It  would  have  been  a  great  trial  to 
me  to  see  it  in  the  hands  of  strangers." 

"  I  am  glad  so  much  of  it  is  yours  ;  and  I 
am  more  than  glad  that  what  you  have  in- 
vested here  is  likely  to  bring  you  large 
returns." 

"  I  am  both  glad  and  thankful ;  and  if  I 
am  allowed  to  live  to  carry  out  my  plans, 
there  are  many  who  will  have  reason  to  re- 
joice. I  have  set  apart  a  certain  portion  of 
my  income  for  the  expense  of  your  educa- 
tion ;  so  you  may  feel  that  you  have  some 
interest  here  as  well  as  your  cousins." 


A    SUMMER    VACATION.  165 

"It  does  not  seem  right  for  me  to  be 
dependent  upon  you,  Margie." 

"I  may  do  what  I  will  with  my  own,  and 
I  shall  be  more  than  repaid  for  all  I  can  do, 
if  I  live  to  see  you  a  noble,  Christian  man, 
and  a  skilful  physician.  In  fitting  yourself 
for  your  profession,  you  shall  have  every 
advantage  which  money  can  give  you,  and  I 
am  sure  the  money  thus  spent  will  prove  a 
profitable  investment." 

"  It  shall  be  if  I  can  make  it  so,"  was  re- 
plied. rt  I  appreciate  your  kindness,  and  am 
more  grateful  for  it  than  words  can  express." 


166        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 


CHAPTER  X. 

CAMPING   OUT. 

CAMPING  out "  was  the  engrossing  topic 
of  conversation,  until  the  girls  felt 
themselves  aggrieved  at  not  being  allowed 
to  join  the  party.  Mason  was  in  jubilant 
spirits,  examining  his  old  clothes,  and  con- 
sulting Aunt  Margaret  in  regard  to  his  boots, 
"because  mother  didn't  understand  so  well 
about  such  things." 

Mr.  Elliot  regretted  being  absent  from 
home,  when  so  much  demanded  his  atten- 
tion, but  there  were  other  considerations  in- 
fluencing him.  Jessie  watched  him  closely, 
half  fearing  that  the  old  spirit  of  restlessness 
would  regain  its  ascendency. 

"I  am  sorry  to  leave  you,"  he  said,  the 
evening  before  his  departure.  "I  shall  hard- 
ly know  how  to  live,  without  seeing  you 


CAMPING    OUT.  167 

• 

for  two  weeks.  You  make  me  so  happy,  I 
can  never  do  enough  for  you  to  repay 
you." 

"Why,  father,  how  can  you  say  so,"  an- 
swered Jessie,  nestling  closer  to  him.  "It  is 
just  as  mother  said  it  would  be  sometime, 
and  I  am  the  happiest  girl  in  the  world  when 
you  are  with  me.  But  —  " 

Here  she  paused,  as  if  hesitating  to  speak 
her  thoughts. 

"What  is  it,  child?  Tell  me  all  you  have 
in  your  heart,"  said  her  father  tenderly. 

"I  can't,"  she  replied  with  a  sob.  "It 
hurts  me  just  to  think  of  it ;  and  now,  you 
are  so  good,  I  don't  believe  you  will  want  to 
ki-i'p  going,  as  you  used  to." 

"  Don't  be  afraid  to  trust  me,  Jessie,"  re- 
sponded her  father,  deeply  moved.  "I  am 
not  sure  of  my  feelings,  but  —  God  helping 
me  —  I  believe  I  am  sure  of  my  actions. 
When  our  excursion  is  over,  I  shall  be  glad 
to  come  back  to  you,  and  sit  down  again  in 
my  own  home." 

"  Oh  !  I  know  you  will.     I  knew  it,  too", 


168    HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

• 

all  the  time ;  but  I  couldn't  help  think- 
ing." 

"  Think  what  a  pleasant  time  you  will  have 
with  Miss  Greenleaf  while  I  am  gone,  and  how 
happy  we  shall  be  together  when  I  return." 

"I  will,  father,"  said  Jessie  cheerfully. 
fr  I  am  so  glad  Miss  Greenleaf  was  willing  to 
stay  here,  instead  of  going  home  for  her 
vacation.  Miss  Austen  is  always  as  kind 
as  kind  can  be ;  and  Mrs.  Bumstead  says  I 
am  not  to  cook  at  all.  Norah,  too,  has 
grown  so  good,  I  have  real  happy  times  with 
her,  and  her  mother  has  asked  me  to  spend 
a  whole  day  with  her  while  you  are  gone. 
Then  Miss  Greenleaf  and  I  are  going  over  to 
Miss  Sperry's,  visiting.  There's  somebody 
over  there  who  wants  to  learn,  and  Miss 
Greenleaf  is  going  to  help  her.  Her  name 
is  Esther  Wetherell,  and  perhaps  she  will 
come  here  to  work  in  the  mill." 

"With  so  much  to  take  up. your  time,  you 
will  hardly  miss  me." 

A  tighter  clinging  of  the  arms  about  his 
neck  made  response  to  this ;  and  Richmond 


CAMPING    OUT.  169 

Elliot  needed  nothing  more  to  assure  him  of 
the  love  of  his  little  daughter. 

The  route  of  the  pedestrians  had  been  de- 
cided by  business  considerations.  They  were 
to  follow  up  Austen's  brook  to  its  source, 
and  learn  the  probable  amount  of  water 
which  could  be  controlled.  Mr.  Elliot  was 
also  instructed  to  confer  with  the  owners  of 
adjacent  lands,  and  report  upon  the  feasibil- 
ity of  purchasing  these  lands. 

This  accomplished,  the  party  would  be 
free  to  go  in  whatever  direction  choice  might 
lead  them  ;  but  Harold  had  his  own  plans, 
of  which  he  had  not  }^et  spoken.  Something 
of  the  influence  of  former  days  came  upon 
him,  that  bright  summer  morning,  as  the  en- 
tire village  bade  him  and  his  companions  a 
hearty  God  speed. 

"  I  wish  you  were  going,"  said  Mason  to 
his  brother  Edward.  "Some  way  you  are 
getting  to  be  like  father  to  me,  and  if  any 
trouble  should  come  to  me,  I  should  want 
you.  I  don't  believe  I  shall  ever  depend 
upon  Clarke  as  I  do  upon  you.  You  are  a 


170        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

splendid  fellow ;  and  losing  that  money  is 
going  to  be  the  making  of  us.  I  shouldn't 
have  this  tramp,  if  that  company  hadn't 
failed." 

Mason  and  Eobert  started  a  little  in  ad- 
vance, walking  at  their  usual  rapid  pace ; 
but  they  soon  found  that  this  was  too  great 
an  expenditure  of  strength. 

"Let  your  moderation  be  known  to  us 
all,"  shouted  Clarke,  who  had  quite  entered 
into  the  spirit  of  the  occasion. 

"  You  are  moderate  enough  for  two,"  was 
the  good-natured  reply.  "We  are  the  pio- 
neers, leading  the  way  for  those  who  fol- 
low." 

Before  noon,  however,  they  were  willing 
others  should  lead ;  and  when  a  halt  was 
made  for  dinner,  a  long  rest  seemed  to  them 
desirable. 

Harold  volunteered  to  catch  some  fish,  and 
cook  them  in  true  backwoods  style  if  some 
one  would  make  the  fire.  ''  The  doctor" 
was  ready  to  give  assistance  with  hook  and 
line,  while  Mr.  Elliot  kindled  the  fire ;  so 


CAMPING    OUT.  171 

that  it  was  not  long  before  the  company 
was  invited  to  dine  upon  fish,  bread,  and 
huge  doughnuts,  fried  by  Mrs.  Bumstead. 

f '  How  did  you  learn  to  cook  so  well  ?  " 

"Grandsir  taught  me,"  replied  Harold 
Dorsey  to  this  question,  which  was  rather 
an  ejaculation  than  an  inquiry. 

There  was  rough  walking  before  them, 
but  a  thousand  objects  of  interest  beguiled 
the  weariness  of  the  way.  Forest  and  stream 
teemed  with  life.  While  the  larger  birds 
flapped  their  wings  heavily  and  flew  away 
from  intruders,  others  flitted  past  Avith  the 
speed  of  an  arrow.  The  scarlet  tanager, 
most  brilliant  of  our  songsters,  betrayed  its 
hiding-place  by  a  flash  of  color,  hardly  seen 
before  it  had  disappeared.  The  heron  and 
the  bittern  uttered  their  notes  of  alarm,  while 
the  wild  ducks  dipped  their  glossy  breasts 
noiselessly  in  the  waters  of  the  brook. 

"  It  is  a  holiday  for  every  living  thing," 
remarked  Mr.  Elliot.  MVe  are  in  accord 
with  Nature,  and  Nature  is  a  kindly  mother 
to  her  children." 


172         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"What  is  Nature?"  asked  Clarke  Stuart. 
"  Nature  is  to  me  the  everlasting  God 
revealed  in  his  works  of  creation  and  preser- 
vation. Various  influences  combine  to  pro- 
duce certain  results ;  but  back  of  these  in- 
fluences is  He  who  spoke  the  world  into 
being,  and  fixed  its  laws  of  production,  in- 
crease, and  compensation. 

"  Isn't  it  wonderful?"  rejoined  Harold. 
"  So  many  creatures  live  so  short  a  time 
it  seems  as  though  they  might  as  well 
not  live  at  all,  but  I  suppose  there  would 
be  vacant  places  without  them.  Grand- 
sir  and  I  were  so  shut  up  to  ourselves,  I 
used  to  think  we  had  no  place  in  the 
world." 

"  You  have  a  place  now." 
"  Yes,  sir,  and  a  good  place  too." 
"You   are  number  two  in  our  company, 
and  that  is   a  good  enough  place   for  any- 
body," said  Mason.     "  I  begin  to  feel   like 
tramping  on  again.     The  brook  here  is  al- 
most as  large  as  it  is  at  the  mill ;  and  if  we 
are  going  to  reach  the  spring  that  starts  it, 


CAMPING   OUT.  173 

by  day  after  to-morrow,  we  must  be  mov- 
ing." 

"  Slow  and  steady  wins  the  race." 

"  That  sounds  just  like  Clarke.  Fast  and 
steady  wins  the  race  sooner,  and  that  is 
what  I  believe  in." 

Having  been  over  this  ground  before,  Mr. 
Elliot  knew  where  would  be  the  best  stop- 
ping-place for  the  night ;  and  about  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon,  he,  with  Harold, 
pushed  forward,  leaving  the  other  members 
of  the  party  to  follow  at  their  leisure. 

"  We  must  not  attempt  too  much  the  first 
day,"  he  said  to  his  companion.  "  You  and 
I  are  better  used  to  this  kind  of  life  than  the 
boys  we  have  left  behind  us,  but  we  will  not 
make  too  hard  work  of  it.  You  have  had  but 
few  play-days  since  you  came  to  Austenville." 

"  I  never  had  any  before  I  went  there.  I 
had  no  one  to  play  with,  so  I  was  glad  to 
work,  to  keep  from  being  lonesome.  Mr. 
Elliot,  I  want  to  go  to  my  old  home  before 
we  go  back  to  Austenville.  I  want  to  see 
how  it  will  look  to  me  now." 


174         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"  I  wish  to  see  it,  too,  and  it  is  my  inten- 
tion to  go  there.  When  we  have  explored 
the  brook,  we  will  turn  our  faces  northward 
towards  your  old  home.  There  is  a  mystery 
connected  with  you  that  I  am  anxious  to 
clear  up.  I  have  never  talked  with  you 
much  about  it,  but  I  have  thought  a  great 
deaL;  and  I  feel  sure  that  Mr.  Dorsey  was 
not  related  to  you." 

"  I  feel  sure  that  he  was  not ;  but  how 
came  I  to  be  with  him?" 

"  I  wish  I  could  tell  you.  Do  you  know 
if  he  received  any  letters  ?  " 

"I  went  into  the  house  once  when  he 
didn't  expect  me,  and  he  was  very  angry 
because  I  asked  him  about  a  paper  he  had 
in  his  hand,  and  which  I  know  now  was  a 
letter.  He  didn't  allow  me  to  ask  him  many 
questions." 

"  He  was  a  strange  man ;  and  it  seems  as 
though  he  must  have  left  some  papers  which 
would  give  a  clue  to  his  life." 

"  I  have  thought  so  sometimes,  but  I  try 
not  to  think  about  it  at  all.  I  must  have 


CAMPING    OUT.  175 

belonged  to  somebody  who  didn't  want  me, 
and  so  I  was  sent  off." 

"  You  would  not  care  now  to  see  those 
who  sent  you  off,  Harold." 

"  I  don't  know,  sir.  Perhaps  I  am  better 
than  I  should  have  been  if  I  had  stayed  with 
them.  At  any  rate,  I  have  a  good  home 
now.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peavey  are  always 
doing  something  for  me,  because  they  love 
me ;  and  that  is  what  I  need  most  of  all. 
I  wonder  how  anybody  can  go  wrong  who 
has  one  true,  good  friend?" 

"  I  wonder,  too,  although  I  have  sinned 
against  great  love.  You  have  never  tasted 
liquor  of  any  kind,  Harold?  " 

"No,  sir.  I  promised  grandsir  I  never 
would,  and  I  never  will.  He  said  I  had 
better  die  than  do  it.  I  have  thought  that 
perhaps  somebody  I  belonged  to  was  a 
drunkard.  I  don't  think  I  always  lived 
with  grandsir.  Since  I  have  been  into  the 
great  house  it  seems  as  though  I  had  seen 
such  rooms  before,  and  I  remember  of  cry- 
ing myself  to  sleep  a  good  many  nights  when 


176        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

I  was  a  little  fellow.  I  can  remember,  too, 
when  our  house  was  further  in  the  woods 
than  it  is  now.  The  lumber  was  cut  off  up 
to  grandsir's  land,  but  he  never  sold  a  tree." 

"  It  is  very  strange." 

"Yes,  sir;  but  God  knows  about  it,  and 
he  will  bring  it  out  all  right.  I  think  grand- 
sir  wanted  to  tell  me  something  when  he 
was  dying,  but  he  couldn't  speak." 

"  Well,  Harold,  if  it  is  best  for  you  to 
know  about  it  you  will ;  and  if  not,  you  can 
make  a  position  for  yourself." 

"  Yes,  sir ;  and  I  can  study  books." 

"  Would  you  like  to  go  to  school?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  sir.  I  must  learn  what  I 
can  while  I  am  working ;  and  now  that  Mr. 
Stuart  is  going  to  hear  my  lessons  I  shall  get 
on  faster.  Miss  Greenleaf,  too,  has  offered 
to  help  me ;  so  I  have  only  to  do  my  part." 

:t  You  will  save  something  from  your 
wages,  so  that  in  a  year  or  two  you  can 
afford  to  attend  school,  and  perhaps  you 
may  be  able  to  work  your  way  through 
college." 


CAMPING    OUT.  177 

"  I  can  work,"  replied  Harold ;  and  with 
this  response  the  conversation  closed. 

It  was  yet  early  when  they  reached  the 
secluded  spot  where  Mr.  Elliot  had  spent 
many  a  night  alone,  and  where  he  at  once 
set  about  making  preparations  for  the  com- 
fort of  those  under  his  care.  Boughs  of 
hemlock  and  spruce  were  interwoven  to 
form  an  ample  shelter ;  while  other  boughs 
were  heaped  into  fragrant  beds,  inviting  to 
repose.  There  Avas  no  house  in  sight,  but 
Mr.  Elliot  knew  where  to  obtain  supplies 
for  supper,  and  a  rudely-constructed  fire- 
place upon  a  large  flat  stone  would  serve 
for  all  purposes  of  cooking. 

"  Coffee,  cold  meat,  bread  and  butter ; 
doughnuts  and  cheese ;  a  supper  fit  for  a 
king,  especially  with  such  an  appetite  as  I 
have2"  exclaimed  Clarke  Stuart.  "  I  believe 
I  was  never  so  hungry  in  my  life." 

tr  Tired,  too,  are  you  not?" 

"  Yes,  I  am,  and  I  guess  my  boots  are 
tired  too.  At  any  rate,  they  are  very 
heavy ;  too  heavy  for  me  to  carry  much 


178         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

longer  .now,  but  I  shall  be  all  right  when 
I  have  rested." 

The  doctor  soon  appeared,  with  Mason 
and  Eobert;  each  ready  to  appreciate  the 
substantial  fare,  of  which  there  was  no  lack. 

By  the  waning  light  Mr.  Elliot  read  a 
chapter  from  his  pocket  Testament;  after 
which  he  commended  his  companions  and 
himself  to  the  watchful  care  of  one  who 
never  slumbers  nor  sleeps.  Blankets  were 
unrolled ;  and  with  these  for  coverings,  they 
found  their  beds  luxurious  and  their  sleep 
sweet. 

The  boys  had  promised  each  other  to  be 
first  up  in  the  morning,  but  it  was  not  until 
they  were  called  that  they  rubbed  their  eyes 
and  wondered  where  they  were. 

"  Why  didn't  you  call  us  before  ? "  asked 
Mason  in  a  reproachful  tone.  "  We  have 
lost  ever  so  much  by  sleeping  so  late.  I 
wanted  to  see  the  sun  rise  from  behind  the 
hills,  and  hear  the  first  twitter  of  the  birds. 
And  Clarke  was  up  before  me  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  have  been  fishing  for  your  break- 


CAMPING   OUT.  179 

fast.  I  caught  enough  for  two,  and  I  was 
glad  to  have  you  sleep.  There  is  just  time 
now  for  you  boys  to  take  a  bath,  while  the 
doctor  fries  the  last  kettle  of  fish.  So  be 
off  with  you,  and  back  again  to  breakfast." 

This  eaten,  and  a  prayer  offered,  they 
began  their  march  in  jubilant  spirits,  mak- 
ing their  way  along  the  margin  of  the  brook, 
which  soon  began  to  decrease  in  size.  Mr. 
Elliot  had  a  care  for  each  and  all ;  yet  he  was 
often  silent  and  thoughtful. 

The  last  time  he  had  passed  this  way 
he  felt  himself  pursued  by  a  demon  from 
which  he  hastened  to  escape.  Struggling  in 
his  own  strength  to  break  the  bands  of  appe- 
tite, he  had  well-nigh  given  over  in  the  con- 
flict. Now  he  was  free ;  every  pulse  throb- 
bing with  new  life.  No  longer  a  wandering 
vagabond  ;  he  had  gained  the  esteem  and 
confidence  of  those  whose  friendship  he  knew 
well  how  to  prize. 

It  was  a  perfect  day  ;  less  fatiguing  to  the 
pedestrians  than  that  which  had  preceded  it, 
and  bringing  to  them  a  keener  sense  of  iso- 


180    HAEOLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

lation  from  the  ordinary  walks  of  life.  Be- 
fore nightfall  they  reached  the  forest,  in  the 
recesses  of  which  they  were  to  find  the  ob- 
ject of  their  search ;  a  tiny  spring  appearing 
from  under  a  rock  or  tree,  or  a  bubbling 
fountain  sending  up  its  waters  from  the  oozy 
soil  through  which  it  had  been  filtered. 

The  ground  was  unfamiliar,  even  to  Mr. 
Elliot,  who  only  knew  what  he  had  learned 
in  regard  to  it  by  inquiries  at  the  different 
farm-houses  which  he  had  visited  on  his  way. 
It  was  not  known  that  any  one  had  ever  fol- 
lowed the  brook  to  its  very  source.  The 
owner  of  the  forest  considered  it  of  but  small 
value,  although  it  contained  some  heavy  tim- 
ber, which,  if  differently  situated,  would  find 
a  ready  market. 

"  According  to  the  descriptions  I  have 
heard,  it  must  be  a  rocky  place,  but  I  shall 
be  much  more  sure  about  it  when  I  have 
seen  it  for  myself,"  said  Mr.  Elliot,  as  he 
discussed  with  his  companions  their  plans 
for  the  future.  "  We  must  depend  upon 
ourselves  for  food;  carrying  what  we  can, 


CAMPING    OUT.  181 

and  trusting  to  Harold's  rifle  for  the  rest. 
We  may  find  some  deep  pools  for  fish,  but 
we  must  be  prepared  for  anything.  So  far, 
we  have  had  a  pleasure-trip." 

"  And  we  will  make  it  a  pleasure-trip  all 
the  way,"  responded  Clarke  Stuart.  ff  It 
will  do  us  all  good  to  rough  it  and  depend 
upon  our  own  resources.  I  can  carry  bread 
enough  in  my  haversack  for  Mason  and  my- 
self, and  the  doctor  says  we  may  find  ground- 
nuts for  roasting." 

"  There  is  sure  to  be  plenty  of  them,"  re- 
joined Harold  Dorsey.  "  There  is  no  danger 
of  starving.  I  will  engage  to  feed  you  all, 
if  you  will  be  satisfied  with  hunter's  fare." 

"  We  will  be  satisfied  with  anything,  if 
there  is  only  enough  of  it ;  and  I  think  we 
ought  to  have  roasted  ground-nuts  instead  of 
bread,"  said  Mason. 

"  Grandsir  told  me  that  the  first  settlers  of 
the  country  depended  a  good  deal  upon 
ground-nuts,  and  men  who  live  in  the  woods 
can  eat  them  any  time,  when  the  ground  isn't 
frozen." 


182         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"  The  early  settlers  of  Canada  and  the 
United  States  would  have  been  fortunate 
had  this  been  their  greatest  hardship.  Peo- 
ple can  support  life  on  strange  fare ;  but  we 
are  sure  of  a  civilized  supper,  a  civilized 
breakfast,  and  a  day's  supply  of  hard-bread. 
So,  trusting  in  God,  to  whom  we  will  pay 
our  evening  devotions,  we  may  lie  down  and 
sleep  securely.  It  is  possible  we  shall  camp 
here  again ;  and  for  that  reason  I  have  built 
a  more  substantial  shelter  than  if  we  were  to 
tarry  only  for  a  night." 

"  Will  it  take  all  day  to-morrow  to  reach 
the  end  of  this  journey  ?  "  asked  Robert. 

"  I  hope  not ;  but  we  shall  be  obliged  to 
go  slowly  and  halt  often.  So  far,  our  tramp 
has  been  a  mere  pleasant  walk ;  now  we 
must  prepare  for  work  ;  and  the  sooner  we 
are  resting,  the  better  it  will  be  for  us." 

The  party  slept  even  more  soundly  than 
on  the  previous  night,  awaking  the  next 
morning  eager  for  the  experience  of  the 
day.  A  hard  day,  too,  it  promised  to  be. 
Rougher  walking  than  any  they  had  before 


CAMPING    OUT.  183 

encountered  tried  both  muscle  and  mettle, 
yet  no  one  complained.  Clarke  Stuart  and 
Dick  Fielding  proved  equal  to  all  demands 
made  upon  them,  and  insisted  upon  perform- 
ing their  part  of  the  labor. 

Harold  Dorsey  was  to  them  a  most  enter- 
taining-companion, in  whom  they  were  more 
and  more  interested.  His  grace  of  manner 
and  modest  self-reliance  quite  charmed  them  ; 
while  he,  in  turn,  was  conscious  of  appearing 
at  his  best.  He  was  one  with  others,  shar- 
ing the  same  pleasures,  and  contributing  to 
the  general  comfort  and  happiness.  His  form 
seemed  to  dilate  and  his  step  grow  firmer 
as  he  led  the  way  over  mossy  stones  and 
prostrate  trees. 

"  AVe  shall  lose  you  if  you  hurry  so," 
shouted  Mason,  almost  breathless  with  ex- 
ertion. 

"  You  will  find  me  again,"  he  shouted 
back,  as  he  was  hidden  from  view  by  a 
ledge  of  rock,  around  the  base  of  which 
flowed  the  little  stream. 

Not   until   noon   did   they   catch    another 


184        HAROLD  DOESEY'S  FORTUNE. 

glimpse  of  him ;  when  they  were  notified 
of  his  presence  by  a  curling  smoke  ascend- 
ing from  a  small  opening  where  he  had 
lighted  a  fire.  They  had,  however,  heard 
the  occasional  report  of  a  gun  ;  so  that  they 
were  not  surprised  to  find  an  abundant  din- 
ner in  waiting  for  them.  Each  carried  rations 
of  bread,  but  roasted  ground-nuts  were  pre- 
ferred, which,  with  squirrels  done  to  a  turn 
on  hastily  improvised  spits,  made  a  luxurious 
repast.  Sheets  of  birch  bark  served  as 
plates,  and  tin  drinking-cups  were  filled  from 
a  spring  near  by. 

Harold  had  not  been  idle,  as  was  doubly 
proved  when  he  told  his  companions  that  he 
had  seen  the  source  of  the  brook,  more  than 
a  mile  away. 

"  It  starts  from  three  springs  on  the  side 
of  the  hill,  all  very  near  together,  and  all 
trickling  down  over  some  rocks,  until  they 
meet  and  form  a  little  stream.  I  didn't 
expect  to  come  to  it  so  soon,  and  I  couldn't 
stop  to  look  around  much ;  but  there  is  time 
enough  to  examine  it  this  afternoon,  and 


CAMPING    OUT.  185 

then   climb  to   the   top   of  the   hill   if  you 
wish  to." 

"  You  must  have  walked  fast,  and  worked 
fast,  to  accomplish  so  much,"  said  the  doc- 
tor, in  reply  to  Harold's  remarks.  "  I  never 
knew  anything  of  such  cooking  before,  or  of 
such  abounding  energy  as  you  have." 


186        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE     OLD     HOME. 

MR.  ELLIOT  made  u  hasty  survey  of 
the  ground  around  the  springs,  and 
then  submitted  the  question  of  climbing  the 
hill,  or  returning  to  the  camp  they  had  left 
that  morning.  No  one  wished  to  go  further, 
and  they  soon  started  on  their  return,  reach- 
ing camp  so  late  that  they  cared  more  for 
sleep  than  food. 

The  next  morning  a  bountiful  breakfast 
was  in  readiness,  after  eating  which,  Harold 
Dorsey  expressed  his  intention  to  start  that 
day  for  his  old  home. 

"  And  leave  us  behind !  "  exclaimed  Mason. 
"Let  us  go  with  you." 

"  I  hope  you  will  come,  and  I  shall  cer- 
tainly expect  you  ;  but  now  that  I  am  really 
going,  I  am  impatient  to  be  there.  I  shall 


THE   OLD   HOME.  187 

ride  part  of  the  distance.  Mr.  Elliot  will  tell 
you  all  about  it." 

''  There  are  some  places  between  here  and 
there  you  will  all  enjoy  seeing,"  responded 
the  leader  of  the  party.  "  I  shall  expect  to 
hear  from  Austen ville  Saturday,  and  we  will 
camp  over  Sunday,  or  find  accommodations 
at  some  hotel.  Monday,  we  will  join  Harold, 
and  .spend  the  week  with  him,  if  this  arrange- 
ment pleases  you." 

No  one  could  object,  yet  many  regretful 
looks  followed  Harold  as  he  left  them,  glad 
to  be  alone,  that  he  might  take  counsel  with 
himself.  The  thought  of  visiting  the  haunts 
of  his  early  life  moved  him  deeply.  lie 
wended  his  way  through  the  villages  and  past 
the  houses  he  remembered  so  well,  when  he 
saw  them  for  the  first  time  ;  but  they  wore  a 
different  aspect  to  him  now,  than  when, 
friendless  and  homeless,  he  had  gone  on, 
scarce  knowing  whither  he  went.  He  saw 
some  of  the  very  men  with  whom  he  had  then 
talked ;  yet  to  his  keener  vision,  their  faces 
were  not  the  same. 


188         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

He  stopped  for  the  night  at  a  plain  coun- 
try tavern  where  he  had  bought  a  bowl  of 
bread  and  milk,  and  the  next  night  he  stood 
by  the  rude  dwelling  he  had  called  home. 
The  cars  brought  him  withim  five  miles  of  the 
place,  and  he  had  walked  this  distance  with 
hurried  steps. 

The  house  was  tenantless.  The  grass  was 
growing  up  to  the  very  threshold  of  the  door, 
which  stood  ajar.  The  fire-place,  with  the 
heavy  iron  dogs,  was  as  he  had  left  it ;  but 
the  stove  had  been  removed.  A  table  and 
two  chairs  were  all  which  remained  of  the 
scanty  furniture ;  every  article  of  which  he 
could  enumerate. 

The  loft,  which  had  served  as  his  sleeping- 
room,  contained  only  a  box  filled  with  the 
treasures  collected  in  his  childhood,  and 
which  no  one  else  had  considered  of  any 
value.  Here,  his  heart  flooded  with  memo- 
ries of  events  which  seemed  to  him  more  like 
dreams  than  realities,  he  kneeled  down  and 
thanked  God  for  the  mercies  which  were 
crowning  his  life. 


THE    OLD   HOME.  189 

He  would  not  have  chosen  that  any  one 
should  know  of  his  coming ;  but  it  was  neces- 
sary that  he  should  have  food,  which  could 
be  most  easily  obtained  of  a  neighbor. 

"  Give  you  some  supper,  Harold !  Of 
course  I  will  and  be  glad  to,"  exclaimed  the 
woman  to  whom  he  made  his  request.  "  I 
watched  you  coming  down  the  road,  and  I 
thought  to  myself,  '  If  that  ain't  Harold 
Dorsey,  I  don't  know  him,'  'though  you've 
changed  a  good  deal  in  your  looks.  'We've 
wondered  about  you  every  day  since  you 
went  aAvay,  and  wished  we  could  know  how 
you  fared." 

"I  have  fared  well,"  he  answered.  "I 
have  a  good  home  and  good  friends." 

"  You  don't  say  you've  found  out  who  you 
belonged  to,  and  gone  to  live  with  them." 

"  No,  ma'am ;  but  God  raised  up  friends 
for  me  and  sent  me  to  them." 

"  Well,  it's  strange.  But  come  in,  and  I'll 
get  you  some  supper.  You'll  stay  with  us 
to-night.  We  shall  be  glad  to  have  you,  and 
as  much  longer  as  you  stop  'round  here." 


190         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

:'  Thank  you,  but  I  intended  to  stay  in  the 
old  house.  I  can  make  a  bed  of  boughs." 

"  We'll  see  about  that.  Here  comes  hus- 
band and  the  boys." 

All  glad  to  see  Harold  Dorsey,  and  glad  to 
hear  of  his  good  fortune.  The  best  the  house 
afforded  was  set  before  him,  and  his  plans  for 
the  night  were  completely  overruled. 

"  There  has  been  a  good  deal  of  talk  about 
Mr.  Dorsey  since  he  died,"  said  Mr.  An- 
drews. "  People  have  conjectured  strange 
things.  I  never  knew  what  to  make  of  his 
living  alone  as  he  did,  and  it  seems  stranger 
to  me  all  the  time.  The  family  that  moved 
in  ransacked  the  house  from  garret  to  cellar, 
but  I  never  heard  as  they  found  anything  of 
any  consequence.  There  might  be  such  a 
thing  as  Mr.  Dorsey's  leaving  a  paper  to 
explain  matters  for  you." 

"  I  don't  think  he  would.  It  would  not  be 
like  him  to  do  it." 

"Well,  maybe  not.  You  know  about  him 
better  than  I  do.  We  always  felt  sorry  for 
you,  and  wished  we  could  help  you,  but  there 


THE    OLD    HOME.  191 

never  seemed  any  reason  for  interfering,  that 
would  justify  us." 

"  I  don't  know  how  any  one  could  have  in- 
terfered between  me  and  Mr.  Dorsey,  unless 
it  was  some  one  who  had  a  claim  on  me.  I 
had  enough  to  eat,  drink,  and  wear ;  and  a 
shelter  from  the  cold." 

"  But  you  ought  to  have  gone  to  school." 

**  I  wanted  to  go.  Mr.  Dorsey  taught  me 
a  good  deal,  and  now  I  study,  every  day, 
when  I  am  at  home.  I  found  a  home  with 
two  old  people,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peavey,  who 
took  me  in.  I  live  with  them,  and  do  what  I 
can  for  them." 

"  Do  you  work  on  a  farm  ?  " 

For  answer  to  this  question,  Harold  de- 
scribed his  position  in  Austen ville,  giving  due 
credit  to  Mr.  Elliot,  who  was  remembered  as 
a  miserable  drunkard. 

"And  you  say  he  is  a  Christian  man, 
trusted,  and  looked  up  to,"  remarked  Mr. 
Andrews. 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Well,  that's  the  strangest  of  all.     Why, 


192     HAROLD  DORSE Y'S  FORTUNE. 

I've  seen  him  when  he  was  as  pitiful  a  look- 
ing object  as  I  ever  saw  anywhere,  and  he 
hadn't  a  place  to  lay  his  head.  And  he  talks 
in  meeting,  and  leads  in  prayer  !  I  wish  he'd 
give  us  a  talk.  We've  been  trying  to  have 
meetings  in  the  school-house,  this  summer, 
and  sometimes  we  get  quite  a  company  to- 
gether." 

"I  expect  Mr.  Elliot  here  Monday,  with 
four  others  ;  two  young  men,  and  two  boys. 
AVe  are  all  going  to  stay  until  Saturday,  and 
perhaps  longer.  "We  want  to  explore  the 
woods  together." 

"  I  wish  they  were  coming  to-morrow,  but 
perhaps  you  can  help  us  Sunday.  How  is  it 
with  you  ?  Are  you  a  Christian  ?  " 

"  I  hope  I  am.  I  am  trying  to  live  accord- 
ing to  the  Bible." 

"  That  is  right.  You  couldn't  tell  me  any 
better  news.  I  neglected  religion  too  long, 
but  I  am  trying  to  make  up  for  it  as  well  as 
I  can." 

"  Better  tell  Harold  what  set  you  to  think- 
ing about  it,"  now  said  Mrs.  Andrews. 


THE    OLD   HOME.  193 

"  I  will,  for  he  ought  to  know,"  was  re- 
plied. "  Do  you  remember  telling  our  Ben 
that  you  had  promised  Mr.  Dorsey  never  to 
look  in  a  Bible  till  you  was  sixteen  years 
old?" 

"  Yes,  sir ;  I  do  remember  telling  him." 

"Well,  he  came  home  and  told  us  of  it, 
and  he  said  he  wouldn't  have  made  such  a 
promise  to  anybody.  He  would  read  the 
Bible  when  he  wanted  to ;  and  after  that,  he 
used  to  be  looking  into  the  big  Bible  pretty 
often.  Finally  he  read  it  aloud,  Sundays, 
and  by  and  by,  he  started  up  to  go  to  meet- 
ing. He  walked  six  miles  and  back  again, 
for  the  sake  of  hearing  a  sermon ;  and  he 
wouldn't  have  done  that  if  he  hadn't  cared  a 
good  deal  about  it." 

"  I  would  have  walked  twice  that  distance, 
if  I  could  have  gone,  when  I  lived  here  with 
Mr.  Dorsey.  I  used  to  wonder  and  wonder 
what  a  meeting  was  like.  But  I  interrupted 
you." 

"  No  matter  if  you  did.  Good  news  can 
wait.  Ben  is  a  Christian,  and  he  is  away  at 

13 


194        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

work  this  summer,  to  earn  money,  so  he  can 
go  to  school  next  winter.  He  aint  satisfied 
not  to  know  any  more  than  he  can  learn  right 
'round  here.  We  expect  him  to-morrow 
night,  to  stay  over  Sunday,  and  help  about 
the  meeting.  We  shall  expect  to  hear  from 
you  too.  He  says  it  was  what  you  told  him 
that  made  him  want  to  read  the  Bible ;  and 
his  reading  it  made  his  mother  and  me  read 
it,  and  that,  with  God's  grace,  made  us  try 
to  live  Christian  lives.  I  hope  all  the  boys 
will  be  brought  in,  and  I  expect  they  will. 
Wife  and  I  are  thinking  of  joining  the 
church." 

"And  all  this  good  came  of  my  not  being 
allowed  to  read  the  Bible." 

"It  seems  as  though  it  did,  Harold." 
"  Then   I   could   afford   to  wait ;  but  that 
doesn't  make  it  any  better  for  Mr.  Dorsey." 
"  You  must  leave  that  with  God." 
"  Yes,  sir  ;  I  do  ;  and  I  leave  all  the  mys- 
tery about  myself  with  him  too." 

'  That  is  best,  'though  it  is  right  for  you 
to  want  to  know,"  replied  Mr.  Andrews. 


THE    OLD    HOME.  195 

The  boys  waited  for  an  opportunity  to  talk 
with  Harold  Dorsey,  which,  however,  did 
not  come  until  the  next  morning,  when  they 
sat  together  in  the  old  stoop  and  watched  the 
fast  falling  rain. 

"  Wasn't  you  glad  to  get  away  from  Mr. 
Dorsey?"  asked  one. 

"I  don't  think  I  was  really  glad,"  replied 
Harold.  "  I  didn't  know  what  was  before 
me,  and  he  was  all  I  had :  but  I  am  better 
off  now  than  I  should  have  been  if  he  had 
lived." 

"  The  house  and  land  belong  to  you.  He 
held  it  in  trust  for  you.  Didn't  father  tell 
you?" 

"  No." 

"  Perhaps  he  thought  you  knew  about  it. 
It  aint  a  very  valuable  piece  of  property,  but 
it  is  better  than  nothing." 

"  How  came  it  to  be  mine  ?  Who  cared 
enough  for  me  to  give  me  even  so  much  ?  " 

It  was  easy  to  ask  himself  these  questions, 
to  which  his  wildest  conjectures  could  frame 
no  replies. 


196         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

Before  noon  the  sky  cleared,  and  he  went 
again  to  the  house  which  was  to  him  the  one 
connecting  link  with  the  past.  He  kindled  a 
fire  on  the  hearth ;  and  as  the  long  tongues 
of  flame  leaped  up  the  chimney,  he  saw  them 
as  he  had  seen  them  in  his  childhood,  when 
he  sat,  silent  and  thoughtful,  opposite  the 
man  who  had  claimed  from  him  unquestion- 
ing obedience. 

Mrs.  Andrews  came  over  with  two  of  her 
sons,  and  before  night-fall,  floors,  ceiling,  and 
windows  were  thoroughly  cleaned. 

w  It  begins  to  look  as  though  somebody 
could  live  here,"  remarked  the  woman,  sur- 
veying the  result  of  their  afternoon's  work. 
"  It  is  a  rough  place,  but  it  is  better  than 
a  good  many  have  ;  and  I  know  a  family  that 
would  be  glad  to  come  in  here  and  keep 
things  from  going  to  pieces.  They  live  now 
in  a  shanty  that  answers  for  summer,  but  as 
soon  as  it  comes  cold  weather  they  can't  stay 
there.  It  is  Beloy's  family.  You  used  to 
see  Beloy,  the  chopper,  didn't  you." 

"  I  used  to  see  him  in  the  woods  some- 


THE    OLD   HOME.  197 

times,  but  Mr.  Dorsey  told  me  not  to  speak 
to  him.  Isn't  he  a  bad  man  ?" 

"  He  was  bad  when  he  drank  liquor ;  but  he 
has  given  that  up,  and  is  trying  to  do  as  well 
as  he  can.  He  comes  to  the  meetings  in  the 
school-house,  with  his  wife  and  children, 
'though  they  have  hardly  decent  clothes  to 
wear.  If  you  see  him  to-morrow,  I  hope 
you  will  talk  with  him.  It  will  do  him 
good.  He  remembers  you." 

No  one  in  the  vicinity  who  had  ever  seen 
Harold  Dorsey,  or  heard  his  name,  but  re- 
membered him ;  and  the  expectation  that 
he  would  be  present  brought  a  larger  num- 
ber than  usual  to  the  little  school-house  on 
Sunday  morning. 

The  meeting  was  opened  with  prayer  by 
Mr.  Andrews ;  after  which  his  son  read  a 
chapter  from  the  Bible,  with  explanatory 
notes  ;  adding  a  few  words  of  his  own,  ex- 
pressing his  trust  in  God,  and  his  determi- 
nation to  continue  in  the  way  he  had  chosen. 

The  silence  which  followed  was  broken  by 
a  strong,  sweet  voice  commencing  a  familiar 


198         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

hymn ;  and  to  the  surprise  of  all  present, 
other  voices  joined  in  this  service  of  song. 
They  had  not  thought  it  possible  to  have 
singing ;  but  there  are  few  in  this  favored 
land  of  ours  who  have  not,  at  some  time  in 
their  lives,  learned  the  melody  of  psalm  or 
hymn. 

"  That  was  good,"  said  Jaques  Beloy, 
springing  to  his  feet.  "  I  didn't  suppose  I 
could  sing ;  but  I  did,  and  I  feel  better  for 
it.  I  want  you  all  to  pray  for  me,  and  I 
want  somebody  to  pray  for  me  right  here, 
that  I  may  keep  sober,  and  have  my  sins 
washed  away  in  the  Saviour's  blood." 

The  same  voice  which  had  led  the  singing 
was  heard  in  prayer,  touching  hearts  all  un- 
used to  feelings  of  contrition.  Every  eye  was 
then  turned  to  Harold  Dorsey,  who  arose  and 
related  something  of  his  experience  during 
the  time  he  had  been  absent  from  these 
scenes.  He  told  of  his  lonely,  wearisome 
journey ;  of  his  call  at  Mr.  Peavey's,  and 
the  instruction  lie  had  there  received  in 
regard  to  keeping  the  Sabbath.  Without 


THE    OLD   HOME.  199 

reflecting  unkindly  upon  Mr.  Dorsey,  he 
referred  to  the  fact  that  he  had  received 
no  religious  instruction  during  his  boyhood. 
At  first  he  spoke  with  some  hesitation,  but 
as  he  continued,  words  came  apace.  He 
described  the  meetings  in  Austen vi lie,  and 
closed  with  an  appeal  to  all  present  to  come 
out  on  the  Lord's  side. 

"  Now  sing  another  hymn.  Sing  another 
hymn,"  exclaimed  Beloy,  the  chopper,  and 
a  hymn  was  sung  with  a  will. 

Then  all  were  invited  to  remain  at  Sun- 
day-school, and  as  there  was  a  class  of  boys 
who  had  come  for  the  first  time,  and  who 
had  no  teacher,  Harold  was  persuaded  to 
take  them  in  charge.  To  say  that  he  inter- 
ested them  would  be  giving  both  him  and 
them  small  credit.  They  listened  admir- 
ingly, while  new  aspirations  awoke  within 
them,  and  new  resolves  inspired  them. 

rf  Will  you  be  here  next  Sunday?"  asked 
the  most  untutored  boy  of  all  when  school 
was  dismissed. 

"  I  cannot  tell ;   but  if  I  am  here  I  shall 


200         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

want  to  see  every  one  of  you,"  was  re- 
plied. 

'  You  will ;  and  if  you  aint  here  perhaps 
we  better  come.  We  shall  learn  something, 
and  we  need  to  bad  enough.  Ben  Andrews 
wants  us  to  come,  and  he  knows  sights  more 
than  the  rest  of  us.  We  promised  him  we'd 
come  to  the  sermon  at  five  o'clock." 

The  time  between  Sunday-school  and  the 
preaching  service  was  spent  by  Harold  Dor- 
sey  with  this  same  Ben  Andrews,  who,  al- 
though several  years  his  senior,  had  seen  less 
of  the  world  than  himself. 

"  It  is  going  to  be  up-hill  work  for  me, 
but  I  must  have  an  education,"  said  the 
young  man.  ft  Studying  the  Bible  gave  me 
a  hint  of  what  there  is  to  be  learned  from 
other  books,  and  I  shall  never  be  satisfied 
till  I  am  fairly  started  in  school." 

"  You  will  not  be  satisfied  then.  There 
will  always  be  something  to  read  and  some- 
thing to  study;  but,  if  you  are  a  Christian, 
you  will  be  willing  to  do  the  most  you  can, 
and  then  wait  for  the  rest.  I  always  wanted 


THE    OLD   HOME.  201 

to  know  about  a  great  many  things ;  but  the 
more  I  know  the  more  I  want  to.  The  world 
grows  larger.  But  there  is  one  comfort 
for  us  all :  anybody  can  study  the  Bible, 
and  there  is  something  of  everything  in  that. 
Miss  Austen  says  it  is  like  a  mine.  The 
more  you  study  it,  the  more  it  gives  you." 

"  I  know  that,  but  I  need  more  .help  than 
you  do.  You  have  gained  more  in  a  year 
and  a  half  than  I  could  in  twice  that  time." 

The  arrival  of  Harold  Dorsey,  and  the  fact 
that  he  had  taken  part  in  the  school-house 
meeting,  induced  many  to  come  at  five 
o'clock  who  had  not  been  present  in  the 
morning.  They  wished  to  see  the  visitor, 
and  observe  for  themselves  the  changes  in 
his  appearance.  The  clergyman,  who  had 
in  vain  sought  to  win  Mr.  Dorsey's  confi- 
dence, was  particularly  interested  in  one  so 
long  shut  in  from  outside  influences.  A 
short  conversation  served  to  increase  this 
interest,  and  with  the  promise  to  call  upon 
the  young  man  "  at  home,"  Mr.  Colburn  left 
him. 


202         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Andrews  insisted  upon  his 
stopping  with  them  until  his  friends  arrived ; 
but  early  Monday  morning  he  established 
himself  in  the  shady  old  kitchen,  and  began 
preparations  for  the  comfort  of  his  expected 
guests.  By  noon  the  cupboard  contained 
some  plain  crockery,  borrowed  for  the  occa- 
sion, while  on  the  shelves  of  the  cool  pantry 
were  loaves  of  bread  and  pats  of  butter, 
milk,  cheese,  and  doughnuts.  As  for  meat, 
it  was  to  be  obtained  from  the  woods,  or 
neighboring  sheep-folds  and  poultry-yards. 

Living  under  a  roof,  even  here,  would  not 
be  exactly  "  camping  out,"  but  Harold  judged 
rightly  that  his  plans  would  meet  with  appro- 
bation. There  were  seats  and  beds  for  all, 
and  nothing  could  have  been  more  delight- 
ful to  the  travellers  than  the  reception  tend- 
ered them. 

"  I  didn't  know  how  much  I  cared  about 
you  till  after  you  were  gone,"  said  Mason. 
"  It  seemed  as  though  half  our  company  had 
left  us.  Mr.  Elliot  has  been  just  splendid ; 
but  he  couldn't  fill  his  place  and  yours  too." 


THE    OLD    HOME.  203 

"  We  couldn't  think  of  going  any  further 
without  you,"  added  Clarke ;  Dick  Fielding 
and  Robert  Bumstead  endorsing  this  asser- 
tion. 

"I  am  glad  to  be  missed,"  was  Harold's 
modest  reply.  "  But  I  wanted  to  come  here 
alone,  and  I  have  gained  a  great  deal  by  it. 
I  found  friends  where  I  should  not  have 
looked  for  them.  Everybody  is  good  to  me." 

f?  Why  shouldn't  people  be  good  to  you  ? 
Aunt  Margaret  says  we  generally  get  as  we 
give,  and  I  have  found  that  true." 

"  As  a  rule  that  holds  good  the  world  over, 
although  there  are  some  exceptions,"  re- 
sponded Mr.  Elliot.  "  But,  Harold,  you 
have  done  wonders  here.  You  have  made 
the  old  house  far  plcusanter  than  I  ever 
saw  it  before.  It  is  really  inviting.  We 
shall  almost  forget  that  we  are  roughing  it." 

ft  I  am  glad  you  like  it.  Mrs.  Andrews 
and  the  boys  helped  me.  She  filled  the 
pantry  shelves,  and  we  shall  have  fried 
chicken  from  her  kitchen  in  the  morning. 
After  that  you  can  decide  for  yourselves 


204        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

what  you  would  like.  Now  that  I  know 
the  house  belongs  to  me,  I  begin  to  feel  as 
though  I  was  entertaining  company  for  my- 
self. You  are  the  first  company  I  ever  had, 
and  you  are  very  welcome." 

In  response  to  this  Clarke  Stuart  proposed 
"  three  cheers  for  our  host,"  which  were 
given  with  a  hearty  good  will. 


THE    CHOPPER.  205 


CHAPTER 

THE    CHOPPER. 

PEOPLE  were  curious  in  regard  to  the 
inmates  of  the  Dorsey  house,  and  the 
neighborhood  was  rife  with  gossip,  much  of 
which  had  no  foundation  in  fact.  New 
theories  were  broached,  to  account  for  the 
building  of  the  house ;  while  Harold's  pres- 
ence revived  the  interest  which  had  been 
felt  in  him  and  the  man  he  had  called 
"grandsir." 

Many  questions  were  asked  Mr.  Elliot, 
and  he  was  often  urged  to  express  an  opin- 
ion, which  he  invariably  declined  to  do. 
He  applied  to  the  proper  authorities  to  se- 
cure the  legal  rights  of  his  young  friend, 
and  devoted  a  half-day  to  making  a  thorough 
search  for  any  papers  which  might  possibly 
have  been  left  by  Mr.  Dorsey.  With  this 
his  efforts  were  at  an  end.  Whatever  secret 


206         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

had  been  in  the  old  man's  keeping  was  buried 
in  a  lonely  grave. 

"  I  am  satisfied  that  it  should  be  so,"  said 
Harold.  "I  am  better  satisfied  than  ever 
before.  This  visit  has  given  me  a  feeling 
of  rest  and  contentment  I  should  not  have 
had  without  it.  I  have  nothing  to  do  now 
but  to  enjoy  all  I  can,  and  help  others  to 
enjoy  every  minute  of  the  time." 

"  That  is  all ;  and  you  can  stay  over 
another  Sabbath,  even  if  I  return  to  Austen- 
ville  this  week.  I  am  waiting  to  hear  from 
there  before  deciding  when  I  shall  go.  If 
Mrs.  Andrews  can  cook  for  you  all,  and  you 
choose  to  spend  another  week  here,  you  can- 
not do  better  than  to  stay.  There  is  plenty 
of  game  in  the  woods,  twenty  miles  away, 
and  with  the  experience  they  have  had  the 
young  men  and  boys  are  able  to  take  care  of 
themselves." 

"Yes,  sir;  but  I  am  thinking  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Peavey.  They  will  miss  me." 

"  Of  course  they  will,  but  they  will  be 
glad  to  have  you  enjoy  a  rest." 


THE    CHOPPER.  207 

In  doors,  or  out,  as  they  pleased ;  no  life 
could  have  suited  them  better.  Sunbrowned 
and  roughly  dressed,  they  might  have  been 
mistaken  for  a  party  of  back-woodsmen,  yet 
their  gentlemanly  manners  commended  them 
to  the  favor  of  all  who  saw  them.  Under 
Mr.  Elliot's  care  they  had  grown  strong  and 
vigorous ;  able  to  accomplish  far  more  than 
they  would  have  presumed  to-  attempt  when 
they  left  Austenville. 

Mason  had  not  thought  of  headache.  He 
was  "  all  right,"  every  way,  ready  for  any- 
thing which  might  offer.  He  had  made 
friends  with  Jaques  Beloy,  who  found  him 
in  the  woods  and  told  him  where  to  fish  for 
trout.  Robert  was  his  constant  companion ; 
alert  and  watchful,  yet  quiet  and  undemon- 
strative. Dick  Fielding  studied  the  struc- 
ture of  plants  and  flowers  he  had  never  seen 
before,  and  learning  from  Harold  the  me- 
dicinal properties  of  some  used  by  a  man 
claiming  to  be  an  Indian  doctor. 

ri>  You  don't  propose  to  practise  in  his 
line?"  said  Clarke  Stuart,  after  listening 


208        HAROLD  DORSEY'S  FORTUM;. 

to  a  recital  of  assertions  made  by  this  doc- 
tor. 

"  I  presume  not,  but  I  should  like  to  know 
what  he  knows,"  was  replied.  "Such  knowl- 
edge could  not  come  amiss." 

"  Knowing  what  he  knows,  you  would  pos- 
sess a  large  fund  of  knowledge  not  set  down 
in  books,"  remarked  Mr.  Elliot.  w  I  have 
met  the  man,  and  it  seemed  to  me  he  could 
name  every  plant  and  vine  that  grows.  Of 
course  he  knows  nothing  of  botany  as  a  sci- 
ence, but  one  who  wished  to  make  a  complete 
list  of  the  flora  of  this  part  of  the  State  could 
not  do  better  than  to  engage  his  services. 
He  may  be  a  quack  in  medicine ;  but  under 
favorable  conditions  he  would  have  made  a 
first-class  botanist.  I  was  sometimes  sur- 
prised to  see  how  almost  lovingly  he  would 
bend  over  a  floAver,  before  disturbing  the 
root,  which  he  wished  for  his  medicine- 
bag." 

"  I  think  everybody  knows  something  that's 
worth  knowing,  Mr.  Elliot ;  and  perhaps  we 
shouldn't  know  any  more  than  a  real  igno- 


THE    CHOPPER.  209 

rant  man,  if  we  hadn't  had  any  better  chance,'' 
said  Robert,  blushing  at  his  own  boldness  in 
thus  expressing  an  opinion. 

"  I  presume  we  should  not,"  was  replied. 
"  But  few  men  and  women  can  rise  above  cir- 
cumstances, and  with  resolute  will  adopt  a 
course  of  action  requiring  the  very  best  ef- 
forts of  which  they  are  capable.  It  is  easier 
to  drift  with  the  current,  than  to  take  up  the 
oars  and  row  as  for  one's  life.  There  are 
thousands  of  lives  running  to  waste,  for  the 
want  of  energy  and  application." 

"  Do  you  suppose  the  man  has  ever  lived 
who  did  all  of  which  he  was  capable  ?  "  asked 
Dick  Fielding. 

"I  presume  not,  yet  some  have  accom- 
plished what  seemed  to  others  impossible.  I 
can  think  now  what  I  might  have  done,  and 
wish  vainly  that  I  could  live  over  the  last 
twenty  years.  I  might  have  been  somebody, 
while  I  am  now  only  a  poor  man,  doing 
what  I  can  to  make  amends  for  misspent 
time." 

With  these  words  Mr.  Elliot  walked  away, 
u 


210        HAKOLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

and  was  seen  no  more  until  the  horn  sounded 
to  call  truants  home. 

"  I  am  beginning  to  feel  that  I  have  been 
a  very  useless  member  of  society,"  said 
Clarke  Stuart  when  left  alone  with  his  cousin. 
"Everybody  connected  with  Austenville 
seems  to  be  having  what  Mason  calls  a  tiptop 
time,  and  yet  everybody  is  hard  at  work,  and 
planning  to  do  more  in  the  future.  Aunt 
Margaret  never  hurries,  but  she  is  always 
busy;  and  as  for  Edward,  he  has  grown 
almost  out  of  my  knowledge.  Between  you 
and  me,  I  think  he  is  a  splendid  fellow." 

"  All  that,  and  more.  Until  I  saw  him  in 
Austenville,  I  never  realized  how  grand  a 
thing  religion  is.  He  lives  it  every  day,  and 
not  a  man  or  woman  in  the  place  but  would 
trust  him  with  uncounted  treasures.  Every 
bale  of  goods  he  sells  will  be  a  voucher  for 
his  honesty.  He  has  set  us  an  example  we 
shall  do  well  to  follow." 

"  You  are  right,  Dick.  He  has,  but  I  have 
never  thought  much  about  religion." 

I  have  thought  a  great  deal  about  it,  and 


THE    CHOPPER.  211 

when  Mason  asked  me  if  I  was  a  Christian,  I 
wished  I  could  answer  him  more  confidently 
in  the  affirmative.  I  think  our  excursion  has 
been  pleasanter  than  it  would  have  been 
without  the  morning  and  evening  prayer ; 
and,  Clarke,  it  is  time  for  us  both  to  con- 
sider seriously  our  relations  to  God." 

n  I  am  ready  to  acknowledge  that ;  but  the 
truth  is,  it  seems  to  me  religion  would  fit  me 
awkwardly.  I  have  never  been  very  thor- 
oughly in  earnest  about  anything,  unless  it 
was  a  day's  pleasure.  Our  loss  of  property 
startled  me  from  a  sense  of  ease  and  security, 
and  the  last  fortnight  has  deepened  the  convic- 
tions of  duty  which  have  been  growing  upon 
me  since  then.  I  have  wished  that  I  could 
identify  myself  with  the  mill ;  but  Edward 
s:iys  there  is  no  place  for  me,  and  I  am  not 
sure  that  I  should  be  satisfied  to  live  so  far 
out  of  the  world.  The  winters  must  be  very 
dull." 

M  Unless  one's  time  is  pleasantly  occu- 
pied. Think  of  living  here,  without  seeing 
the  faces  of  a  dozen  different  people  in  as 


212         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

many  months.     To  Harold,  Austenville  is  a 
large  place." 

"  He  will  make  his  mark  in  a  larger  place. 
He  is  growing  fast,  now  that  he  comes  to  the 
front  as  our  host,  and  we  are  faring  like  kings. 
I  don't  wonder  Mrs.  Andrews  is  astonished 
at  our  capacities  for  eating." 

These  days  in  the  forest  were  days  to  be 
remembered.  The  sky  was  bluer  than  else- 
where ;  the  clouds  took  on  more  picturesque 
forms  ;  while  in  harmony  with  beauty  appeal- 
ing to  the  sight  was  the  music  of  the  wind 
sweeping  through  stately  pines. 

Harold  recounted  his  experience  in  trap- 
ping ;  pointing  to  the  upturned  stumps,  be- 
neath which  he  had  found  many  a  burrow, 
whose  occupants  were  lured  to  their  death. 
He  took  them  to  the  stream,  on  the  banks  of 
which  he  had  caught  minks,  whose  dark,  soft 
fur  Mr.  Dorsey  had  sold  for  a  high  price. 

Once  he  had  killed  a  moose,  which  \vas 
considered  a  great  feat  by  the  man  who  was 
with  him,  but  Mr.  Dorsey  did  not  even  say 
that  he  had  done  well. 


THE    CHOPPER.  213 

"One  winter,  there  were  several  moose- 
yards,  not  very  far  north  of  us,"  he  remarked. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  yards?"  asked 
Mason. 

"  I  mean  the  winter-quarters  of  the  moose, 
among  the  hard-Avood  trees,  where  they  can 
feed.  Their  upper  lip  is  so  long  and  strong, 
they  can  pull  down  the  branches  of  trees  with 
it,  and  then  hold  them  with  their  fore-legs 
while  they  strip  off  the  twigs  and  bark.  They 
tread  down  the  snow  very  hard  doing  this,  and 
when  they  have  taken  all  they  can  reach,  they 
tread  down  new  snow,  and  feed  on  new  trees." 

"  How  many  are  there  in  a  yard  ?  " 

"  Generally,  a  male  and  female  and  two 
fawns.  The  hunters  know  where  to  look  for 
them,  but  as  the  woods  are  cut  down,  their 
numbers  grow  less.  When  they  go  to  a 
stream  to  drink,  they  take  the  same  path  day 
after  day,  and  sometimes  they  are  caught  in  a 
slip-noose,  fastened  to  a  young  tree  bent 
down  in  their  path.  An  old  hunter  can  tell 
the  minute  he  sees  it,  if  a  tree  has  been 
cropped  by  a  moose.  Life  in  the  woods 


214        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

makes  one  quick  to  observe  everything  around 
him." 

"  You  are  quick  to  observe." 

"Xot  so  quick  as  many.  I  used  to  think  I 
learned  slowly,  although  I  had  nothing  else 
to  do." 

"  The  acuteness  of  the  senses  under  sharp 
training  is  astonishing,"  said  Dick  Fielding. 
"  I  have  read  of  instances  which  seemed  in- 
credible, yet  I  presume  they  may  have  been 
true." 

"  I  should  not  doubt  anything  in  that  line. 
What  would  be  impossible  to  us  is  easy  to 
one  who  has  been  trained  to  close  watchful- 
ness. Necessity  drives  people  to  strange 
shifts,  and  Mr.  Dorsey  used  to  say  that  real 
wants  are  very  few." 

"  I  suppose  that  means  life  can  be  sustained 
on  very  little  ;  but  such  living  dwarfs  the  in- 
tellect and  the  heart.  A  comfortable  house, 
with  pleasant  surroundings,  and  plenty  of 
good  substantial  food,  without  undue  anxiety 
in  regard  to  it,  is  essential  to  living  at  one's 
best." 


THE   CHOPPER  215 

"Then  you  ought  to  be  doing  your  best 
right  along,"  said  Mason,  in  response  to  his 
brother.  "  We  have  enough  to  eat,  and  I 
don't  know  of  anybody  who  is  anxious  about 
it,  unless  Mrs.  Andrews  and  Harold  are.  I 
am  growing  just  as  fast  as  I  can,  and  I  guess 
we  all  are." 

These  remarks  called  forth  shouts  of  laugh- 
ter. It  was  so  easy  to  laugh  when  all  were 
happy ;  so  easy  to  smile  when  all  were  at 
ease.  Yet  these  pleasure-seekers  were  some- 
times confronted  with  stern  realities.  They 
made  a  visit  to  the  shanty  where  Jaques 
Beloy  had  lived  with  his  family  for  three 
years,  through  summer's  heat  and  winter's 
cold.  There,  two  babies  had  been  born,  and 
there  they  would  have  remained,  had  not  some 
new  thoughts  found  place  in  the  father's  heart. 

"  Why  didn't  you  ever  tell  me  about  God 
and  the  Bible?"  he  asked  Harold,  one  day, 
as  he  leaned  upon  his  axe  and  looked  up  into 
the  young  man's  face. 

"Because  I  didn't  know.  I  couldn't  tell 
you,"  was  replied. 


216         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"I've  seen  plenty  that  did  know.  '  Why 
didn't  they  tell  a  poor  fellow  like  me,  that 
was  just  doing  bad  all  the  time,  and  not 
knowing  any  better.  It  makes  heaps  of 
difference  to  me  and  my  poor  wife,  that  I've 
dragged  'round  all  these  years,  and  not  help- 
ing her  to  know  what  she  ought  to.  I  haint 
seen  a  man  in  the  woods  since  I  turned 
'round,  but  what  I've  told  of  the  good  way; 
and  would  you  believe  it,  Harold !  some  of 
them  say  they've  heard  it  all  before  and  don't 
care.  It's  strange  how  they  don't  care.  I 
couldn't  help  it.  I  tell  my  wife  and  children ; 
and  when  we  talk  about  it  we  feel  like  rich 
folks." 

"  It  makes  people  rich  ;  because,  no  matter 
how  we  are  here,  we  shall  be  rich  in  heaven." 

"  But  we  are  rich  here,"  urged  the  chopper. 
"Aint  a  man  rich  when  he  has  enough  for 
himself  and  them  that  belong  to  him  ?  I  can 
earn  big  wages  every  day,  and  spend  it  for 
what  we  need  ;  and  won't  that  make  me  rich  ? 
My  wife  is  tidy  and  as  good  managing  as 
any ;  and  she's  that  happy  she  don't  get  tired." 


THE    CHOPPER.  217 

"You  will  never  drink  liquor  again,  Mr. 
Beloy." 

"Will  I?*  Sooner  will  I  die.  Don't  you 
fear  for  me.  Mr.  Elliot's  been  talking  to  me 
about  the  right  way.  He  has  done  as  bad  as 
I,  and  worse,  because  he  knew  better." 

"  He  is  doing  well  now,  Mr.  Beloy.  Every- 
body in  Austenville  respects  him." 

"  And  you,  too,  he  says.  You  was  always 
a  good  boy,  and  I'm  glad  of  your  good  luck. 
We're  waiting  now  for  you  to  find  out  how 
you  come  to  be  set  down  here  in  the  woods 
with  Mr.  Dorsey.  They  say  the  house  is 
yours.  It  aint  much  to  have,  but  it's  a  roof 
over  your  head  when  you  want  to  live  under 
it." 

"  It  would  be  more  comfortable  for  you 
than  the  house  you  are  living  in  now.  I 
should  not  ask  you  much  rent,  and  you 
could  occupy  it  as  long  as  you  please." 

"  How  much  would  you  ask  ? "  inquired 
the  chopper,  with  a  forethought  quite  unusual 
to  him. 

It  did  not  require  long  to  settle  this  matter, 


218    HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

and  when  both  declared  themselves  satisfied, 
Harold  went  his  way,  leaving  a  man  who 
could  hardly  realize  what  it  would  be  to  live 
in  a  "  real  house." 

"  We  have  not  given  him  the  credit  he  de- 
serves," remarked  Mr.  Elliot  when  this  con- 
versation had  been  reported.  "He  was 
always  called  a  bad  man,  but  he  knew  nothing 
beyond  providing  for  the  immediate  physical 
wants  of  himself  and  family,  and  gratifying 
his  appetite  for  strong  drink.  There  is  not 
much  about  your  house  to  be  injured,  and  it 
may  be  that  he  will  improve  it.  A  sober 
man  must  do  something  in  the  long  winter 
evenings.  He  cannot  sit  idle  for  hours  at  a 
time.  He  must  be  employed  in  some  way. 
I  find  that  I  am  getting  tired  of  so  much 
leisure.  I  must  go  back  to  Austenville  and 
go  to  work.  Everything  is  going  on  well 
there,  and  I  could  be  spared  until  next  week, 
but  it  is  best  that  I  should  go.  I  am  anxious 
to  see  Jessie,  and  I  have  decided  to  be  at- 
home  Saturday  night ;  but  I  advise  you  to 
stay  longer." 


THE    CHOPPER.  219 

All  regretted  his  leaving,  yet  no  one 
wished  to  return  with  him.  They  were 
anxious  to  attend  the  school-house  meeting, 
which  Mrs.  Andrews  was  sure  would  be 
large  ;  because  "  everybody  expected  to  hear 
good  singing,  and  there's  nothing  like  that 
for  keeping  folks  interested  that  don't  care 
for  the  talking  or  praying." 

"  Can  all  five  of  you  sing?  "  she  asked. 

"  Yes,  ma'am, we  can  all  sing  first  rate,  and 
you  shall  hear  from  us  to-morrow,"  answered 
Mason. 

His  companions  were  ready  to  redeem  this 
promise,  and  the  day  was  in  accord  with  its 
duties. 

"  I  would  not  have  missed  this  morning  for 
all  the  rest  of  our  trip,"  said  Clarke  Stuart. 
"  I  have  been  feeling  that  we  are  shut  out 
from  the  world  and  shut  in  to  heaven. 
Harold,  how  long  did  it  take  you  to  make  up 
your  mind  to  be  a  Christian? 

"  Do  you  mean  how  long  was  it  after  I 
knew  about  God,  before  I  was  ready  to  love 
and  serve  him  ?  " 


220         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"  Perhaps  that  is  what  I  mean." 

"  I  loved  Him  the  minute  I  knew  He 
loved  me.  I  don't  see  how  anybody  can  help 
loving  Him." 

"  But  being  a  Christian  is  more  than  loving. 
It  is  living  according  to  certain  rules,  and 
giving  up  your  own  will  to  the  will  of  God.'' 

"  Mr.  Elliot  says  it  is  loving  God,  and 
living  in  real  earnest  —  honest  and  true  in 
everything." 

Thus  closed  the  conversation  upon  this 
subject ;  but  in  the  meeting,  that  day,  there 
was  no  more  devout  worshipper  than  Clarke 
Stuart.  The  simple  service  was  more  im- 
pressive than  any  he  had  before  witnessed ; 
while,  with  others,  he  paid  tearful  tribute  to 
the  earnest  words  spoken  by  his  young 
brother. 

The  singing  charmed  all  who  heard  it. 
Even  the  singers  themselves  were  touched  by 
the  melody  of  their  own  voices.  The  en- 
tire congregation  remained  to  Sunday-school, 
and  after  an  hour's  study  of  the  Bible,  a  re- 
quest was  made  for  more  singing. 


THE    CHOPPER.  221 

The  people  were  lifted  out  of  the  ordinary 
routine  of  their  lives.  For  the  time,  they 
forgot  care  and  weariness,  and  were  vaguely 
conscious  of  a  nature  whose  needs  were  here 
recognized.  Some  had  not  attended  church 
for  years.  Living  remote  from  any  place  of 
public  worship,  they  had  allowed  the  sab- 
baths to  come  and  go  unnoticed  until,  as  they 
frankly  acknowledged,  they  were  no  better 
than  heathen. 

n  I  used  to  feel  bad  about  never  going  to 
meeting,  but  I  couldn't  help  it,"  said  one 
woman.  "  We  didn't  keep  any  horse,  and 
I  couldn't  walk  five  miles  and  back  Sundays, 
after  I'd  worked  hard  all  the  week.  It's  no 
way  to  bring  up  a  family,  and  I  always  knew 
it.  But  my  husband  didn't  see  things  as  I 
did,  and  so  we've  gone  on  till  this  summer, 
when  Ben  Andrews  started  up  to  have  a 
meeting  here  in  the  schgol-house.  I  made 
up  my  mind  then  that  we  should  all  come ; 
and  we  have,  and  it's  rested  me  all  through." 

"The  meetings  have  done  a  sight  of  good," 
responded  a  neighbor.  "  \Ve  must  keep 


222        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

them  up  right  along  too.  We  can't  expect 
another  like  what  Ave've  had  to-day.  The 
young  folks  have  learned  some  of  the  hymns, 
and  they'll  do  the  best  they  can  with  the 
singing.  Then  there's  Belo}r  and  his  wife, 
that  have  got  as  sweet  voices  as  you  will 

f 

hear  anywhere.  The  meetings  give  me 
something  to  think  of  all  the  week.  I  wish 
Harold  Dorsey  was  going  to  stay  with  us, 
and  then  we  should  be  sure  of  a  meeting." 

Harold  did  not  wish  to  remain,  yet  it  was 
with  positive  regret  that  he  closed  the  door 
of  his  house  and  hastened  to  join  his  com- 
panions, who  had  thoughtfully  left  him  alone 
the  last  half  hour  he  was  to  spend  there*.  A 
wagon  was  to  take  their  baggage  by  the  road, 
while  they  walked  through  the  woods. 

Jaques  Beloy,  who  had  watched  for  their 
coming,  asked  that  he  might  shake  hands 
with  each  of  them ;  wished  them  a  prosper- 
ous journey  and  a  glad  coming  back  next 
year;  then  watched  them  until  they  were 
lost  to  sight  among  the  trees,  when  he  said 
to  himself: 


THE    CHOPPER.  223 

"  I'll  be  nearer  like  them  next  year.  I've 
got  God  and  the  Bible,  and  I  can  sing ;  that's 
one  side.  I  can  work  and  earn  money,  and 
not  spend  it  for  drink;  that's  the  other 
side." 


224        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 
MISS  SPERRY'S  COUSIN. 

ME.  BUMSTEAD  met  them  at  the  sta- 
tion, declaring,  however,  that  they 
needed  a  voucher  for  their  identity. 

"  Kobert,  lad,  is  it  really  you?"  he  asked 
in  a  choked  voice,  as  the  boy  sprang  to  his 
arms.  "  You  have  grown  that  much,  and 
your  cheeks  are  so  tanned,  the  mother  '11  be 
looking  twice  before  she  takes  you  in.  AVe 
have  missed  you  all,"  he  added,  turning  to 
the  others.  "  The  weeks  have  seemed  longer 
to  us  than  they  have  to  you." 

"  They  have  been  the  shortest  weeks  of 
my  life,"  responded  Clarke  Stuart. 

"  Shortest  to  me  too,"  said  each  and  all. 

"And  you  have  been  to  Harold's  old 
home." 

"  Yes,  sir,  and  he  entertained  us  royally. 


MISS  SPERRY'S  COUSIN.  225 

Ordinary  life  will  seem  tame  to  us  now.  We 
have  been  living  on  the  heights." 

"  We  have  been  living  not  very  low  down," 
responded  Mr.  Bumstead.  "We  knew  you 
were  having  the  best  of  times  ;  and  when  Mr. 
Elliot  came,  he  said  we  needn't  think  strange 
if  you  stayed  a  week  longer." 

"Harold  thought  best  to  come,  so  we 
hurried  on  Avith  him  as  fast  as  steam  would 
bring  us." 

"  Then  you  had  enough  of  walking." 

"  Enough  for  once." 

"Well,  it's  not  best  to  make  the  play-times 
too  long.  There  was  no  danger  of  that  with 
me  when  I  was  a  boy ;  but  nowadays  it  is 
different.  See  what  a  promise  there  is  of  a 
rich  harvest,  'though  the  best  harvest  I  know 
of  is  coming  from  our  looms.  There's  not  an 
idle  bit  of  machinery  in  the  mill,  week  in  and 
week  out." 

Just  then  they  had  reached  descending 
ground,  and  the  speed  of  the  horses  drew 
attention  from  other  subjects  of  conversation. 

Mason  was  silent;    thinking  of  those   he 

15 


226         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

was  so  soon  to  meet,  and  the  well-filled  pages 
of  his  note-book,  as  they  would  be  read  the 
coming  winter,  when  he  had  transferred  to  it 
the  scrappy  notes  which  had  been  jotted 
down  from  time  to  time,  and  which  he  would 
fill  out  at  his  leisure.  He  had  learned  much  ; 
a  bit  here  and  a  bit  there,  with  many  sugges- 
tions for  future  inquiry.  New  scenes  had 
succeeded  each  other  so  rapidly,  it  would  be 
only  after  many  weeks,  and  perhaps  months, 
that  he  would  recall  some  pleasant  incidents. 
He  was  perfectly  well ;  so  that  he  could 
"  think  as  long  and  hard  "  as  he  pleased  ;  and 
he  must  make  up  for  lost  time  as  fast  as 
possible.  He  could  take  two  days'  lessons  in 
one,  and  — 

But  he  was  among  familiar  places :  the 
chimney  of  the  great  house  in  sight,  and  he 
almost  home.  He  must  postpone  the  further 
consideration  of  his  plans  until  a  more  con- 
venient season. 

A  confusion  of  tongues  followed  the  arri- 
val of  the  travellers.  All  were  so  glad  to  see 
them  and  know  that  no  evil  had  befallen  them. 


MISS  SPERRY'S  COUSIN.  227 

"Where  is  Harold  Dorsey?"  asked  Miss 
Austen  presently. 

"  He  took  his  valise  and  started  for  Mr. 
Peavey's  without  stopping  to  speak  to  any 
one,"  replied  Mr.  Bumstead. 

"  I  intended  he  should  take  tea  with  us, 
but  the  old  people  will  rejoice  at  the  sight  of 
his  face,  and  we  have  so  many,  we  ought  to 
be  willing  to  spare  them  one." 

"  Ten  of  us,  Aunt  Margaret,  besides 
mother." 

"And  not  too  many,  even  if  there  were 
twice  ten." 

Mason  ran  down  the  walk  to  meet  his  brother 
Edward,  to  whom  he  confided  the  fact  that 
Clarke  was  getting  to  be  a  first-rate  fellow. 

"You  will  see  it  for  yourself,"  he  said 
decidedly,  and  the  elder  brother  was  quick  to 
note  the  subtile  change  which  might  have  es- 
caped the  observation  of  one  less  interested. 

As  usual,  his  sisters,  Hester  and  Lilla, 
claimed  his  attention ;  but  his  cousins  clung 
to  their  brother. 

"  You  have  been  the  only  one  to  look  out 


228         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

for  six  girls,"  exclaimed  Mason  when  they 
gathered  on  the  piazza  after  tea. 

"There  were  eight  girls  one  day,"  re- 
sponded Hester.  "  Jessie  and  Xorah  spent  a 
whole  day  here,  and  then  all  of  us  except 
Madge  and  Xellie,  spent  a  day  with  each  of 
them,  and  we  had  a  splendid  time.  They 
can  do  the  loveliest  things  of  any  girls  I  ever 
went  to  visit." 

"  You  had  so  good  a  time  I  don't  suppose 
you  missed  us." 

"  Yes  we  did.  We  always  miss  you  when 
you  are  gone,  and  we  missed  Dick  and 
Clarke  too.  But  we  knew  we  couldn't  have 
you,  so  we  made  the  most  of  Edward ;  and 
he  is  as  good,  as  good,  almost  as  good  as 
father  was." 

No  higher  praise  than  this  could  be  given  ; 
yet  the  reference  to  one  so  dearly  loved  threw 
a  shade  of  sadness  over  the  entire  company, 
and  all  were  relieved  when  Mr.  Elliot  ap- 
peared in  sight.  Clarke  and  Mason  hurried 
to  speak  with  him,  followed  soon  by  Dick 
Fielding.  Greetings  were  exchanged,  ques- 


MISS  SPERRY'S  COUSIN.  229 

tions  asked  and  answered,  and  comments 
made  upon  various  events. 

Jessie  received  a  call  as  she  waited  for  her 
father,  and  later,  Mason  presented  himself  at 
the  door  of  Mrs.  Rudy's  kitchen. 

"  I  saw  you  when  you  came,"  said  Norah. 
"Haven't  you  had  the  grandest  time,  and 
didn't  you  want  to  stay  longer  ?  " 

w  I  had  a  grand  time,  but  I  was  glad  to 
come  hack,"  he  replied. 

"  You  have  lived  out  of  doors,  and  your 
face  is  almost  as  black  as  mine,  only  it  is 
different.  But  don't  you  think  —  I  have  been 
to  Miss  Austen's  while  you  were  gone,  and 
your  sisters  and  cousins  have  been  here." 

"And  you  like  them,  don't  you?  " 

"  Yes,  I  do.  I  couldn't  help  it  if  I  wanted 
to." 

"They  like  you  too." 

"  I  don't  see  how  they  can." 

rf  I  don't  see  how  they  could  help  it.  But 
your  mother  and  grandmother  arc  coming, 
and  they  will  want  their  supper.  Good-by." 

Mason  Stuart  bowed  to  the  two  women  as 


230        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

respectfully  and  courteously  as  if  they  had 
been  "  ladies,"  and  then  passed  on ;  having 
brightened  the  whole  evening  for  them. 

Meanwhile,  Harold  Dorsey  was  at  home  in 
the  little  brown  cottage,  wrhere  a  dainty  sup- 
per was  spread  for  him,  and  where  two  old 
people  were  made  happy  by  his  presence. 

"  We  didn't  know  how  much  wre  depended 
on  you,  till  you  went  away,"  said  Mrs. 
Peavey  ;  adding  quickly  :  "  I  don't  mean  for 
work,  but  for  company.  It  seemed  as  though 
we  had  moved  away  from  neighbors,  so  we 
couldn't  hear  what  was  going  on.  Miss 
Greenleaf  came  over  one  morning,  and  wre 
persuaded  her  to  stay  all  day,  we  were  so 
lonesome." 

"  That  was  a  good  day,"  rejoined  Mr. 
Peavey.  "She  is  a  nice,  sensible  girl,  and 
after  she  had  set  down  to  the  table  and  eat  with 
us  once,  she  seemed  like  our  own  folks.  She 
told  us  how  she  used  to  work  when  her  mother 
was  alive.  She  haint  had  a  very  easy  time." 

"  But  she  has  learned  a  good  deal,  and  that 
makes  up  for  hard  work." 


MISS  SPKRUY'S  COUSIN*.  231 

"  Yes,  Harold,  I  suppose  it  does  with  such 
as  you  are,  and  I  am  glad  you  can  learn. 
Miss  Greenleaf  says  you  are  a  good  scholar, 
as  far  as  you  have  studied." 

"I  mean  to  be  thorough.  Mr.  Dorsey 
taught  me  that.  If  I  didn't  do  anything  well 
the  first  time,  I  was  obliged  to  do  it  over." 

"  You  don't  say  grandsir  now  as  you  used 
to,"  remarked  Mr.  Peavey. 

"  No,  sir,  I  don't  feel  like  saying  it.  I  am 
surer  than  I  ever  was  before  that  he  was  not 
my  grandfather,  and  I  prefer  to  call  him  Mr. 
Dorsey.  I  don't  know  anything  about  it  for 
a  fact,  but  I  believe  he  was  not  related  to  me." 

Harold  now  told  his  friends  in  regard  to 
the  house  he  could  call  his  own ;  after  which 
he  heard  an  account  of  the  growing  crops,  the 
early  ripening  fruit,  and  the  broods  of  chick- 
ens which  were  Mrs.  Peavey's  care  and  pride  ; 
in  all  of  which  he  was  interested. 

"  We  shall  have  enough  and  to  spare,  this 
year,  and  I  wouldn't  believe  I  could  step 
'round  so  spry,  if  I  hadn't  seen  myself  do  it. 
I  thought  I  had  settled  down  for  life ;  but 


232        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

now,  every  once  in  a  while,  I  find  myself 
planning  ahead,  the  same  as  if  I  was  a  young 
man.  Wife  has  had  first-rate  luck,  too,  with 
her  butter,  and  Gatchell  has  engaged  all  she 
can  make  this  summer.  I  guess  we  belong 
with  Austenville  folks." 

"They  are  good  folks  to  belong  with,"  re- 
plied Harold  smilingly. 

"  That's  what  they  are.  Mother  hain't  told 
you  the  best  of  all.  We've  been  to  two  Sun- 
day evening  meetings.  The  first  time,  Mr. 
Stuart  came  over  after  us,  and  we  rode,  but 
the  last  time  we  walked.  We  didn't  know 
but  we  should  be  too  tired  to  go  all  the  way, 
but  the  thought  of  the  meeting  kept  us  up ; 
and  now  we  shan't  miss  another  as  long  as  the 
good  Aveather  lasts.  We  followed  your  path, 
and  we  liked  it  better  than  riding." 

Neither  said  anything  of  the  part  Mr. 
Peavey  had  taken  in  these  meetings  ;  cheering 
and  encouraging  all  who  heard  his  earnest 
words ;  but  the  next  day,  Mr.  Gray  told 
Harold  Dorsey  that  the  old  man  talked  "  like 
a  messenger  sent  from  God." 


MISS  SPERRY'S  COUSIN.  233 

"  He  didn't  read  anything  out  of  the  Bible, 
but  he  just  talked  it,  verse  after  verse,  until  I 
wondered  if  he  knew  it  all.  He  said  he  was 
so  thankful  for  such  a  meeting,  he  couldn't 
tell  half  he  felt  about  it.  You  were  a  lucky 
fellow  to  get  into  quarters  with  him ;  and 
everybody  says  his  wife  is  as  good  as  he  is." 

"  She  is,  and  if  she  was  in  the  habit  of 
talking  in  meeting  she  would  talk  as  well  as 
he  can." 

"  We  had  some  to  hear  Mr.  Peavey,  last 
Sunday,  that  never  came  to  the  meeting  be- 
fore. Mrs.  Borine  was  there  with  Norah, 
and  there  wasn't  one  in  the  hall  paid  closer 
attention  than  she  did.  Mr.  Gatchell  was 
there,  too,  and  he  hain't  been  many  times. 
Jane  Spcrry  came  over  with  her  cousin,  Es- 
ther TVctherell ;  and  my  wife  and  children 
were  there.  Miss  Austen  never  did  anything 
better  than  starting  the  mill  meetings." 

These  meetings  were  talked  of  in  remote 
parts  of  the  town,  and  in  out  of  the  way 
houses,  whose  inmates  seldom  went  bc}Tond 
their  immediate  neighborhood.  Miss  Spcrry 


234        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

and  her  cousin  walked  the  long  distance  from 
their  home,  that  they  might  be  present  to 
hear  for  themselves.  Miss  Austen  and  Miss 
Greenleaf  both  welcomed  them ;  the  former 
proposing  to  provide  a  way  for  their  return, 
which  kindness  was  politely  declined. 

"  We  want  to  feel  that  we  can  come  again, 
without  being  beholden  to  anybody,"  said 
Miss  Sperry.  "  \Ve  want  to  walk  both  ways, 
and  we've  got  so  much  good,  I  don't  expect 
we  shall  feel  tired." 

So  with  kind  words  and  smiles  of  recogni- 
tion from  people  they  did  not  often  meet, 
they  turned  their  faces  homeward,  feeling  that 
,they  were  actual  members  of  the  community. 

The  visit  they  had  received  from  Miss 
Greenleaf  and  Jessie  Elliot  had  been  a 
marked  event,  supplementing,  as  it  did,  Miss 
Austen's  call,  and  in  some  ways  more  helpful. 
Alice  Greenleaf  could  sympathize  with  Esther 
"Wetherell  in  her  desire  for  an  education,  tell- 
ing her  of  obstacles  surmounted  greater  than 
any  obstructing  her  path. 

"  I've   made   up   my  mind,  and  I  may  as 


MISS  SPERRY'S  COUSIN.  235 

well  speak  it  first  as  last,"  said  Miss  Sperry, 
after  they  had  reached  home  Sabbath  evening. 
"  I've  been  thinking  it  over  a  good  deal,  and 
I'm  sure  that  the  best  you  can  do  is  to  go  to 
work  in  the  mill  and  earn  what  you  can.  If 
it  wasn't  that  I've  got  this  house,  I'd  go  with 
you  ;  but  if  I  went  away  from  under  the  old 
roof  I  shouldn't  know  how  to  behave,  so  I 
better  stay.  You  can  come  home  Saturday 
nights,  and  stay  with  me  till  Sunday  night. 
That  will  hearten  me  up  a  little ;  and  what 
with  my  garden  and  my  knitting,  the  weeks 
won't  seem,  very  long.  Any  way,  I  am  ready 
to  try  it,  and  Austenville  is  the  place  for 
you." 

"I  think  it  is,"  replied  Esther.  "I  should 
like  to  go  there,  but  I  don't  know  as  there  is 
room  for  me." 

"  You  never  will  know  unless  you  try  to 
find  out.  May  be,  if  you  go  there,  you'll  get, 
sometime,  so  you  can  keep  school,  the  same 
as  Miss  Greenleaf  does.  She  says  you  won't 
need  to  learn  a  great  deal  more  before 
you  can  begin  with  small  scholars,  and  you 


236     HAROLD  DORSE Y'S  FORTUXE. 

won't  have  to  build  a  house  to  live  in  as  you 
go  along.  We  can  fix  up  some,  with  little 
shelves,  and  things  that  grow  out-doors ;  and 
who  knows  but  what  we  can  make  our  house 
real  pleasant.  I'm  going  to  live  in  the  south 
room  this  winter,  where  the  sun  shines  and  I 
can  see  out.  It  ain't  the  way  to  shut  up  the 
best  you  have,  and  not  get  any  good  of  it.. 
I've  made  up  my  mind  to  that." 

"  I'm  glad  you  have,  and  —  and  I  can't 
tell  you  how  thankful  I  am  for  all  you've  done 
for  me  ;  but  if  I  live,  I  will  try  to  show  you. 
When  had  I  better  go  over  to  Austenville,  to 
see  if  I  can  get  work  there  ?  " 

"Go  to-morrow  morning,  as  soon  as  the 
dew  is  off.  There  ain't  any  use  waiting,  and 
dreading  it.  Just  go  to  the  great  house  and  ask 
for  Miss  Austen,  and  when  you  see  her,  do 
your  errand.  I  don't  know  as  she  is  the  one 
folks  go  to  for  work,  but  I  shouldn't  ask  any- 
body else." 

Monday  morning,  Esther  "Wetherell's  ser- 
vices were  desired  nearer  home  ;  so  it  was  not 
until  Tuesday  that  she  went  to  Austenville ; 


MISS  SPERRY'S  COUSIN.  2.57 

and  while  Mr.  Gray  and  Harold  were  talking- 
together,  they  saw  her  going  up  the  walk  to 
the  great  house. 

"There  is  Miss  Sperry's  cousin,"  remarked 
the  man.  "She  is  a  smart  girl  too.  She 
hasn't  had  much  chance,  but  she  was  the  best 
scholar  in  school  as  long  as  she  went,  and  she 
went  till  she  learned  out.  •  I  guess  she  has 
got  some  new  notions  in  her  head." 

Miss  Austen  met  her  kindly,  listened  to 
her  request,  and  went  at  once  to  Mr.  Bum- 
stead,  to  ask  if  a  place  could  be  found  for  her. 

"  There  is  no  place  for  one  like  her,"  he  re- 
plied. "I  saw  her  Sunday  night,  and  she 
ought  to  have  the  nicest  work  there  is  in  the 
mill.  There  will  be  a  vacancy  in  the  fall ;  but 
just  now  I  don't  see  what  we  can  do  for  her 
in  a  way  she  would  like." 

"  She  may  not  be  particular." 

"  But  there  is  a  fitness  of  things,  Miss  Aus- 
ten, and  it's  well  to  hold  to  it." 

tf  Look  at  Mr.  Elliot,  He  fits  himself  to 
his  work,  whatever  it  is,  and  loses  nothing 
by  it." 


238    HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

» 

"  True  for  you,  but  it  is  a  girl  we  are  talk- 
ing about.  However,  Miss  Austen,  I  am  not 
the  one  to  oppose  you.  I  will  show  her  what 
work  we  have  that  we  are  wanting  help  for,  and 
she  can  do  as  she  likes  about  beginning  on  it. 
She  shall  have  the  first  chance  at  something 
better,  whether  she  comes  now  or  not." 

The  work  was  far  from  inviting,  and  the 
din  of  the  machinery  quite  confused  her ;  but 
Esther  Wetherell  had  started  out  resolutely 
that  morning,  and  she  was  not  to  be  easily 
discouraged.  Her  wages  would  be  small  at 
first,  increasing  as  she  gained  in  skill ;  and, 
at  the  lowest,  more  than  sufficient  to  pay  her 
board.  She  was  ready  to  accept  the  place  at 
once,  and  when  she  found  that  she  could  ob- 
tain board  in  the  same  house  with  Miss  Green- 
leaf,  she  counted  herself  fortunate  indeed. 

"  A  dirty  place,  where  you  can't  wear 
only  the  darkest  calico  dresses  ?  "  said  Miss 
Sperry  in  response  to  her  cousin's  report  of 
the  morning's  experience.  "Well,  dirt  won't 
hurt  you,  and  you  must  expect  to  creep  be- 
fore you  can  walk.  If  you've  made  up  your 


MISS  SPERUY'S  cousix.  239 

mind  to  climb  the  hill  of  Science  that  I've 
heard  about,  it  won't  do  for  you  to  be  partic- 
ular about  what  shoes  you  wear.  We  shall 
have  to  be  pretty  busy  to-day  and  to-morrow ; 
but  take  us  both  together,  I  guess  we  can  get 
you  ready  for  Thursday." 

Another  was  brought  under  influences  which 
were  rapidly  developing  both  the  material 
and  mental  resources  of  Austenville,  and 
bringing  it  into  favorable  notice.  No  longer 
an  experiment ;  even  Mr.  Fielding  was  forced 
to  acknowledge  that  Margaret  Austen  had  a 
wise  head  for  business,  notwithstanding  her 
"  visionary  schemes." 


240    HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 


V 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE    BRIGHT    SIDE. 

ACATION  was  ended.  The  visitors 
at  the  great  house  had  bidden  a  reluc- 
tant good-by  to  the  people  and  places  which 
had  given  them  so  much  of  pleasure,  and  a 
strange  stillness  pervaded  the  rooms  they 
had  occupied. 

Clarke  Stuart  and  Dick  Fielding  returned 
to  their  homes  with  deeper  convictions  of 
the  responsibility  of  living,  and  a  truer  esti- 
mate of  their  own  abilities.  For  them  there 
would  be  no  more  idling  ;  no  more  waiting  on 
the  threshold  of  manhood  while  others  made 
the  way  smooth  before  them. 

Mason,  too,  had  learned  new  lessons  he 
was  eager  to  put  in  practice.  He  was  ready 
to  settle  down  to  good  hard  work ;  having 
gained  more  than  he  had  lost,  as  he  assured 


THE    BRIGHT    SIDE.  241 

his  friend,  Kufus  Brown,  who  had  been  hard 
at  work  during  his  absence. 

"And  I  have  prospered  in  everything  I 
have  undertaken,"  was  responded.  "It 
seems  almost  too  much  for  me." 

"  I  don't  know  why  it  should.  There  is 
just  as  much  for  you  as  for  anybody.  If  you 
plant  corn  and  take  good  care  of  it,  you  will 
get  a  good  crop,  unless  the  season  is  Avorse 
than  usual.  If  you  study,  you  will  learn  ; 
if  you  dawdle  over  your  books,  you  will  be 
ignorant.  It  is  all  as  plain  as  can  be.  What 
we  sow,  that  we  shall  reap." 

"  I  know  it,  Mason  ;  but  I  am  reaping  what 
I  did  not  sow,  and  I  don't  know  why  I 
should.  Your  cousin  Dick  helped  me  a 
good  deal  after  you  went  away.  He  heard 
my  lessons  sometimes,  and  explained  what  I 
didn't  understand.  One  day,  too,  Avhen 
mother  was  sick,  he  brought  her  some  medi- 
cine, such  as  your  grandfather  used  to  give 
her,  and  she  got  well  in  almost  no  time." 

"  I  am  glad  of  that.  Dick  is  going  to  be 
the  doctor  of  the  family,  and  Aunt  Margaret 

16 


242         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

has  given  him  leave  to  use  grandfather's 
books  when  he  pleases.  You  are  going  to 
school  next  winter,  aren't  you  ?  " 

"I  calculate  to.  Mother  thinks  we  shall 
have  enough  to  live  on,  and  I  had  rather  eat 
nothing  but  corn-bread  than  not  to  go  to 
school.  I  am  starving  for  school." 

"  You  don't  look  starving  for  anything." 

"  The  starving  is  inside  of  my  head.  It  is 
pretty  empty,  and  I  must  begin  to  fill  up." 

Mr.  Fielding  having  given  a  reluctant  con- 
sent that  his  son  should  study  for  the  profes- 
sion of  medicine,  and  ample  means  having 
been  placed  at  the  young  man's  disposal, 
there  was  no  reason  for  delay  in  entering 
upon  the  preparatory  course.  He  was  to  fit 
for  college  as  soon  as  might  be ;  while  his 
cousin,  Clarke  Stuart,  engaged  as  clerk  in 
the  commission  house  which  sold  the  Austen- 
ville  cloth. 

As  the  evenings  lengthened,  there  were 
the  usual  gatherings  in  Mrs.  Stuart's  sitting- 
room,  when  notes  were  compared  and  ques- 
tions submitted ;  but  there  were  vacant 


THE    BRIGHT    SIDE.  243 

places  in  the  circle.  True,  there  were  some- 
times letters  read  from  the  absent  ones,  yet 
these  were  poor  substitutes  for  their  presence. 

"  Margaret  has  almost  broken  up  our  fam- 
ilies," said  Mrs.  Fielding,  one  day  when  vis- 
iting her  sister.  "  Two  of  your  boys  are 
gone,  and  all  the  one  I  have  is  entirely  under 
her  management.  Margaret  was  always  dif- 
ferent from  other  women ;  but  this  last  plan 
of  hers  eclipses  all  which  have  gone  be- 
fore it." 

"I  think  it  does,"  replied  Mrs.  Stuart. 
"  Margaret  is  a  remarkable  woman.  Father 
always  trusted  her  judgment  after  she  was 
old  enough  to  understand  the  relation  .of 
things  to  each  other.  She  has  not  broken 
up  my  family ;  and  as  for  yours,  she  is  giv- 
ing Dick  advantages  you  would  hardly  be 
able  to  give  him  yourselves.  I  think  we  both 
have  reason  to  be  grateful  for  what  she  is 
doing  for  our  children.  I  realize  it  more 
since  I  have  seen  her  with  Edward ;  and  I 
am  thankful  that  Austenville  was  not  allowed 
to  go  out  of  the  family." 


244         HAROLD  DORSEY'S  FORTUNE. 

"  I  suppose  it  is  all  for  the  best,  although 
I  don't  see  how ;  but  are  you  willing  your 
girls  should  grow  up  to  be  like  Margaret  ?  " 

"  If  you  mean  in  character,  I  answer,  yes. 
I  could  desire  nothing  better  for  them  than 
that  they  should  be  as  good,  intelligent,  and 
energetic  as  their  Aunt  Margaret.  You  don't 
begin  to  appreciate  her.  Father  understood 
her  better  than  any  one  else,  and  he  said 
she  had  the  best  head  for  business  in  the 
family." 

"  She  always  flattered  father,  so  that  he 
thought  her  perfect.  He  did  more  for  her 
than  he  did  for  us." 

"  She  did  more  for  him  than  we  did.  She 
devoted  herself  to  him.  She  gave  him  the 
best  of  the  best  part  of  her  life,  while  we 
were  free  from  all  anxiety  on  his  account. 
She  deserves  all  the  good  fortune  and  all  the 
happiness  which  can  come  to  her.  She  has 
had  her  share  of  discipline  in  life,  and  I  hope 
she  will  have  a  full  share  of  recompense. 
We  chose  our  own  lot ;  while,  in  a  certain 
way,  hers  was  meted  out  to  her.  We 


THE    BRIGHT    SIDE.  245 

hear  that  Dick  is  taking  high  rank  in  his 
classes." 

"I  believe  he  is  doing  well,  but  I  miss  him 
so  much,  I  could  almost  call  him  home.  His 
father  needs  him  in  the  store,  and  is  some- 
times sorry  he  is  not  there." 

There  was  no  bright  side  for  Mrs.  Field- 
ing. She  had  felt  herself  wronged,  that  her 
Sister  Margaret  had  been  preferred  before 
her  in  her  father's  will,  and  this  sister's  pros- 
perity increased  her  own  sense  of  injury. 
She,  with  her  husband,  were  the  only  per- 
sons interested  who  did  not  rejoice  that  the 
venture  they  had  pronounced  rash  and  fool- 
ish was  likely  to  prove  a  grand  financial  suc- 
cess. Uninfluenced,  she,  too,  might  have 
rejoiced,  but  the  constant  complaining  to 
which  she  was  compelled  to  listen  had  made 
the  subject  intolerable  to  her. 

On  his  way  from  market,  Edward  Stuart 
made  a  short  visit  at  home  ;  bringing  good 
reports  of  Clarke,  who  was  giving  entire 
satisfaction  to  his  employer-;. 

"  I  think  he  begins  to  feel  that  he  misrht 


246         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

have  gained  by  attending  school  a  year 
longer,  as  I  advised,  but  he  does  not  ac- 
knowledge it." 

"  He  can  go  now,"  replied  Mrs.  Stuart. 
"  He  is  not  obliged  to  remain  where  he  is." 

"  No,  mother,  but  he  will  be  likely  to  do 
so,  and  perhaps  make  up  for  deficiencies  by 
evening  study.  There  is  every  opportunity 
for  that  without  overtaxing  his  strength." 

"  I  have  never  been  so  anxious  about  his 
health  as  about  his  habits." 

"  They  are  all  right,  mother,  and  I  believe 
he  has  enough  of  religious  principle  to  with- 
stand the  temptations  to  which  he  will  be 
exposed." 

"  Do  you  believe  that?  "  asked  the  mother 
joyfully. 

"  I  do.  He  has  talked  with  me  very 
frankly,  and  I  believe  he  is  a  Christian,  al- 
though he  has  many  doubts  and  fears." 

M  Then  let  him  do  as  he  pleases.  I  shall 
not  attempt  to  dictate  to  him." 

"It  will  be  best  not  to.  He  is  looking 
forward  to  selling  our  goods,  when  he  has 


THE    BRIGHT    SIDE.  247 

acquired  the  requisite  knowledge  of  busi- 
ness ;  and  that  will  be  a  great  incentive  to 
him." 

"I  trusted  to  your  judgment  in  the  matter, 
and  I  shall  trust  it  still.  As  for  Mason,  I  am 
glad  it  is  not  time  for  him  to  decide  upon  a 
vocation.  I  shall  have  one  boy  with  me  for 
a  few  years  longer." 

"  And  the  best  of  the  three,  mother.  My 
irrepressible  brother,  as  I  have  always  called 
him,  has  the  wisest  head  and  the  warmest 
heart  of  any  boy  I  know.  You  can  trust 
him  to  mark  out  a  path  for  himself.  It  will 
probably  be  different  from  what  we  would 
choose  for  him,  but  it  will  be  tile  best  for 
him.  Everybody  in  Austenville  holds  him 
in  the  kindest  remembrance.  His  little  talks 
in  our  Sunday  evening  meetings  had  a  great 
influence." 

"And  yours,  my  son.  I  have  no  more  to 
desire  for  you  than  what  I  am  sure  you  will 
achieve.  We  are  all  indebted  to  your  Aunt 
Margaret  beyond  our  ability  to  repay." 

"  Yes,  mother,  we  are  ;   more  than  we  can 


248         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

repay,  and  more  than  we  can  compute.  She 
seems  to  me  like  a  dear  elder  sister,  so  wise 
and  good,  I  need  no  other  counsellor.  Then 
she  is  such  a  pleasant  companion,  I  am  never 
lonely  when  with  her." 

He  was,  however,  very  lonely  without  her, 
when  she  came  to  her  old  home  to  spend  a 
few  weeks ;  yet  what  was  his  loss  was  gain 
for  many  others. 

The  doors  seemed  to  open  of  themselves, 
that  she  might  pass  within.  Every  article 
of  furniture  was  in  its  place,  as  if  waiting  to 
welcome  her.  There  were  the  same  sunny 
nooks,  with  vines  wreathing  picture-frames 
and  vases!  Brightly-tinted  autumn  leaves 
were  arranged  in  wreaths  and  crosses,  as 
she  had  arranged  them  for  years. 

"The  girls  did  all  this,"  said  Cousin 
Rachel.  "  They  said  Aunt  Margaret  would 
like  them,  and  they  and  Mason  spent  last 
Saturday  dusting  the  library,  every  book 
and  every  shelf." 

"  They  are  very  thoughtful ;  and  here  they 
come  to  tell  me  they  are  glad  to  see  me." 


THE    BRIGHT    SIDE.  249 

They  were  so  glad,  they  all  talked  to- 
gether, each  trying  to  express  more  than 
another ;  the  girls  so  largely  in  the  majority, 
that  Mason  said  he  would  wait  for  his  share 
of  attention  until  he  could  have  the  whole. 

This  time  came  at  last,  when  he  could  sit 
down  beside  his  aunt  and  have  a  good  long 
talk,  just  what  he  desired.  He  had  many 
questions  to  ask.  He  must  know  particu- 
larly of  Jessie,  and  Norah,  and  Robert. 

"  Now,  Margie,  can't  you  stay  with  us  half 
of  the  winter?  "  he  asked.  "We  want  you  so 
much.  Couldn't  Mr.  Bumstead  and  Edward 
take  care  of  the  mill?  I  should  think  they 
might." 

"  They  could  not  very  well  take  care  of  all 
the  people  ;  and,  besides,  I  choose  to  do  my 
own  part  of  the  work.  You  are  well  cared 
for  here." 

"  Yes,  Margie,  I  know  that,  but  we  want 
to  see  you  every  day.  I  suppose,  'though, 
we  must  give  you  up  ;  but  we  shall  make  the 
most  of  you  while  you  .stay.  I  Avish  I  could 
go  back  to  Austenville  with  you,  long  enough 


250        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

to  see  all  the  good  people.  Have  Jessie 
and  Norah  made  lots  of  beautiful  things  this 
fall?" 

"Yes,  some  beautiful  things,  and  many 
which  are  beautiful  only  because  they  are 
useful." 

"  And  is  Miss  Greenleaf  just  the  same  ?  " 

"  Just  the  same,  only  that  she  is  improv- 
ing. She  has  a  larger  school,  and,  besides, 
she  hears  some  lessons  in  the  evening." 

M  Does  Harold  Dorsey  recite  to  her?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  And  Kobert  Bumstead?" 

"Yes." 

w  Is  Harold  going  to  stay  there  always  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  tell  you.  I  presume,  however, 
that  he  will  not.  He  may  wish  to  attend 
school." 

"I  wish  he  could  go  where  Dick  is. 
Wouldn't  he  make  a  grand  scholar?" 

The  young  man  was  sometimes  nearly 
ready  to  give  up  his  present  situation  and 
apply  for  admission  to  some  school  where  he 
could  have  the  privilege  of  study  while  work- 


THE    BRIGHT    SIDE.  251 

ing  to  defray  his  expenses.  But  Mr.  Elliot 
advised  him  to  wait  until  he  had  at  least  a 
hundred  dollars. 

"  That  is  not  much,  but  it  will  give  you  a 
feeling  of  independence,  and  tide  you  over  a 
few  months.  This  winter  you  can  be  learn- 
ing here,  and  I  think  it  will  be  best  for  you 
to  stay  with  us." 

"  Then  I  shall  stay,"  answered  Harold 
simply,  and  no  more  was  said  upon  the 
subject. 

AVhen  the  Thursday  evening  meetings 
were  resumed  he  was  among  those  -most 
interested ;  ready  to  do  his  part,  and  quite 
surprising  his  associates  by  his  original  re- 
marks and  general  intelligence.  He  had  im- 
proved in  his  personal  appearance.  The 
peculiarities  of  manner  acquired  in  his  for- 
mer isolated  life  were  fast  disappearing. 

"  He  is  getting  beyond  his  business,"  re- 
marked Mr.  Gray,  when  some  reference  had 
been  made  to  him.  "I  don't  mean  that  he 
neglects  it,  or  feels  above  it,  but  it  ain't  what 
he  ought  to  be  doing,  and  he  knows  it  as 


252         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE, 

well  as  I  do.  I  am  satisfied  to  keep  on 
where  I  am,  because  I  am  doing  what  I  am 
fitted  for ;  but  it  ain't  so  with  Harold.  I 
don't  know  what  I  might  have  been,  if  Lhad 
been  sent  to  school  and  let  liquor  alone,  but 
if  I  can  pay  for  my  house,  and  give  my  chil- 
dren a  decent  chance  in  the  world,  I  won't 
complain.  That's  what  I  told  Jane  Sperry 
the  other  day,  and  she  said  that  was  all  I  had 
any  right  to  expect." 

"We  have  a  right  to  expect  all  we  deserve. 
I  find  I  am  expecting  a  great  deal  more  than 
I  deserve." 

"You  deserve  a  great  deal,  Mr.  Elliot.  I 
think  the  same  of  you  I  do  of  Harold.  You 
ain't  doing  the  right  kind  of  work.  You 
ought  to  be  in  a  larger  place." 

"  I  shall  stay  here.  I  came  to  stay ;  and 
so  long  as  I  can  earn  enough  for  myself  and 
Jessie  I  shall  find  no  fault  with  my  work  or 
my  wages.  What  I  am  I  know  only  too 
well.  What  I  might  have  been  does  not 
matter  to  me  now." 

rt  You  might  have  been  one  of  the    first 


THE   BRIGHT   SIDE.  253 

men  in  the  country,"  said  Mr.  Gray,  half 
under  his  breath,  as  he  was  left  alone. 

Not  long  after,  Mr.  Elliot  returned  to  make 
an  explanation. 

"  When  I  said  that  what  I  might  have  been 
does  not  matter  to  me  now,  I  did  not  mean 
that  I  am  indifferent  to  it ;  but  that,  as  I  can- 
not recall  the  past,  I  can  only  make  the  most 
of  what  remains  to  me  in  life.  Xo  man  can 
escape  the  reward  of  his  doings,  be  they  good 
or  evil.  I  am  paying  a  heavy  penalty  for  sin 
and  folly." 

ff  I  don't  see  why  you  shouldn't  be  a  happy 
man,  Mr.  Elliot," 

"  I  have  a  great  deal  to  make  me  happy ; 
but  the  happiest  and  most  successful  man  is 
the  one  who  lives  nearest  to  God,  whatever 
may  be  his  condition  in  life.  God's  grace  is 
sufficient  for  the  vilest  of  sinners,  and  he  will 
pardon  all  who  come  to  him ;  but  he  does  not 
make  our  lives  the  same  they  would  have 
been  if  we  had  not  sinned." 

"  I  know  that ;  and  sometimes,  when  I  think 


254        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

about  it,  I  don't  see  how  He  can  overlook  so 
much." 

"  Because  Christ  died  for  us,  and  now  lives 
to  make  intercession  for  us." 

"It  must  be  that.  It  can't  be  anything 
else.  Mr.  Elliot,  you  must  think  that  Mr. 
Peavey,  over  here,  is  a  happy  and  successful 
man." 

"  I  do  think  so." 

"  But  he  is  poor,  and  always  has  been.  He 
has  lived  right  along  on  that  same  little  place, 
working  year  in  and  year  out,  just  managing 
to  make  d  living.  But  if  there  is  a  Christian 
in  the  world,  he  is  one.  He  and  his  wife 
have  done  a  great  deal  of  good  nobody 
knows  anything  about.  There  ain't  many 
would  have  taken  Harold  in  as  they  did." 

"  They  are  getting  their  reward  for  that. 
Mr.  Peavey  told  me  they  should  lay  up  a  lit- 
tle this  year,  and  that  is  more  than  they  have 
done  before  for  a  long  time." 

"  Everybody  seems  to  be  saving  something. 
I  have  made  the  first  payment  on  my  house. 
It  wasn't  much,  but  it  was  a  beginning  ;  and  if 


THE   BRIGHT    SIDE.  255 

I  live  I  shall  have  a  nice  place  of  the  old 
rookery.  Jane  Sperry  says  I've  got  a  good 
foundation  to  start  on,  and  my  wife  thinks  so 
too.  Between  them  both,  they  are  likely  to 
be  right.  Jane  Sperry  was  always  a  sensible 
woman ;  'though  brought  up  as  she  was,  she 
couldn't  do  much  different  from  what  she  has. 
She  is  trying  to  help  Esther  Wetherell  along, 
and  that  is  helping  herself  at  the  same  time. 
She  quotes  Miss  Austen  as  authority  in  all 
things  ;  and  it  is  my  opinion  there  ain't  a 
woman  in  the  country  doing  more  good  than 
Miss  Austen." 


256     HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 


CHAPTER  XV. 
THE  PEOPLE'S  LIBRARY. 

MOTHER,  please  let  me  go  to  church 
and  Sunday-school  with  Jessie.  There 
is  room  for  me  in  the  big  wagon,  and  I  want 
to  go.  My  dress  and  hat  are  good  enough  to 
wear,  and  I  want  to  go  more  than  I  ever 
wanted  to  do  anything  else  in  all  my  life," 
pleaded  Norah  Borine. 

"What  will  your  granny  say?  I  don't 
like  to  go  against  her,"  was  replied.  "  I 
should  be  willing  to  have  you  go  if  she  didn't 
object." 

"  May  be,  mother,  she  will  get  to  think  as 
wre  do,  if  we  are  only  good  and  patient,  and 
all  the  time  make  her  feel  that  we  love  her, 
even  if  we  don't  do  as  she  wants  us  to  about 
meetings.  I  think  she  will,  mother." 

"  I  don't  know,  Norah  dear.  Your  granny 
is  getting  to  be  an  old  woman,  and  she's  not 


THE  PEOPLE'S  LIBRARY.  257 

one  to  change.  May  be  it  will  come  'round 
easy  some  way." 

"  I  do  hope  it  will,  I  want  to  go  so.  I 
have  learned  the  lesson  with  Jessie  for  four 
Sundays,  and  she  is  going  to  lend  me  her 
library-book  to  read.  She  says  it  is  a  nice 
story,  that  makes  her  think  of  the  people  here 
in  Austenville ;  because  it  is  all  about  work- 
ing, and  fixing  up  houses  and  gardens,  and 
going  to  meeting.  I  can  have  it  to-morrow." 

"  Then  you  had  better  read  the  book  to  us 
while  we  work.  Your  granny  always  likes 
to  hear  you,  and  you  can  begin  to-morrow 
evening." 

"  Sure,  I'd  like  to  hear  the  story,"  said 
Mrs.  Rady,  when  Norah  proposed  reading 
it  aloud.  "The  sound  of  your  voice  will 
make  me  forget  that  I'm  tired." 

So  the  reading  was  commenced ;  and  pres- 
ently, in  her  eagerness  to  listen,  Mrs.  Rady 
dropped  her  sewing,  and  resting  her  head 
upon  her  hand  was  oblivious  to  all  around 
her  save  the  words  of  the  story.  The  clock 
struck  their  usual  hour  for  retiring,  but  she 

17 


258         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

wished  Norah  to  read  longer,  and  it  was  not 
until  the  child  showed  signs  of  weariness 
that  she  said  : 

ft  Sure,  you'd  better  stop.  You're  that 
tired  that  you'll  not  be.  rested  in  the  morn- 
ing. You'll  finish  it  the  morrow  evening. 
It's  the  nicest  bit  of  a  story  my  old  ears  ever 
heard ;  and  you  such  a  scholar,  of  my  own 
flesh  and  blood.  I  never  thought  to  see  the 
day  ;  but  it's  come,  honey,  and  your  granny's 
that  proud,  working's  not  much  more  than 
play.  I've  lived  through  hard  things,  but 
it's  all  made  up  to  me  now.  It's  as  Miss 
Greenleaf  said :  When  the  Lord  takes  away 
one  thing,  he  gives  us  another,  if  we  only 
bide  at  our  duty.  I've  tried  to  do  as  well  as 
such  a  poor,  ignorant  body  could." 

"  O  granny,  you  are  a  dear  old  woman," 
exclaimed  Norah,  moved  by  the  tears  upon 
the  furrowed  cheeks.  "I  don't  know  what 
mother  and  I  could  do  without  you.  It  don't 
seem  as  though  we  could  live  at  all." 

"  And  is  that  the  way  you  feel  to  your  old 
granny?  Then  I'll  just  be  working  on,  and 


THE  PEOPLE'S  LIBRARY.  259 

not  mind  what's  gone.  There's  nice  children 
in  the  story,  but  none  like  my  Xorah." 

The  next  evening  the  reading  was  resumed, 
and  the  story  completed. 

"  Where  ever  did  you  get  it  ?  "  then  asked 
Mrs.  Racly  for  the  first  time. 

"  It  is  Jessie's  library-book.  She  got  it  at 
the  Sunday-school.  She  gets  one  every  Sun- 
day ;  and  if  I  went  with  her  I  could  get  one 
too.  I  wish  I  could  go." 

To  this  no  reply  was  made,  and  during  the 
week  no  reference  was  made  to  the  Sunday- 
school.  But  the  next  Sabbath,  when  Xorah 
had  shut  herself  into  her  chamber,  that  she 
might  not  see  the  big  wagon  with  the  well- 
dressed  women  and  children  which  filled  it 
almost  to  overflowing,  her  grandmother  asked 
for  her,  remarking : 

"  She  always  likes  to  see  the  wagon  start." 

w  She  feels  that  bad  because  she  can't-  go 
in  it,  she  don't  want  to  see  it,"  replied  her 
mother. 

"  And  she  fretting  like  that !  Let  her  go. 
I'll  not  be  the  one  to  keep  her.  The  child 


260         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

may  go  for  all  me.  She's  that  spry,  there's 
time  enough." 

Mrs.  Borine  stayed  to  hear  no  more.  No- 
rah  fairly  shouted  for  joy,  and  hastened  to 
make  herself  ready,  which  she  did  in  season 
to  respond  to  the  last  call  for  passengers. 
With  her  Testament  in  her  hand,  she  was 
lifted  to  a  seat  beside  Jessie  Elliot,  who  said 
not  a  word  to  express  the  gladness  which 
beamed  from  her  eyes. 

No  rah  was  conscious  of  being  as  well 
dressed  as  her  friend  ;  and  having  thoroughly 
learned  the  lesson  for  Sunday-school  she  felt 
quite  at  ease  as  she  entered  the  church. 
Here,  all  was  new  to  her,  and  nothing  es- 
caped her  notice.  Much  of  the  sermon  and 
prayers  was  beyond  her  comprehension  ;  but 
the  singing  pleased  her,  and  to  all  she  gave 
the  closest  attention.  Sunday-school  was  all 
she  had  anticipated ;  and  when  allowed  to 
select  a  library  book,  she  chose  one  she 
thought  would  please  her  grandmother. 

The  company  from  Austenville  said  little 
on  their  way  home.  Mr.  Bumstead  was  evi- 


THE  PEOPLE'S  LIBRARY.  261 

dently  thinking  more  of  what  he  had  heard, 
than  of  the  horses  of  which  he  was  so  proud ; 
but  as  he  set  Norah  down  at  her  home,  he 
said  : 

M  I  never  was  gladder  in  my  life  to  give 
anybody  a  lift  than  I  was  to  give  you  one 
to-day.  You'll  go  again,  and  may  be  your 
mother  some  time.  There  will  always  be 
room." 

"  Yes,  sir.     Thank  you." 

"  And  did  you  like  it,  child?"  asked  Mrs. 
Rady. 

"  Yes,  granny  ;  and  I  got  a  book  to  read  to 
you.  After  supper  I  can  read  till  time  for 
meeting,  and  that  will  make  the  time  seem 
shorter." 

"  Well,  child,  I'll  be  glad  to  hear  you  ;  but 
now  I'm  thinking  you're  hungry  for  supper." 

"I  never  thought  of  being  hungry,  but  the 
supper  looks  real  nice.  Why,  you  have  got 
on  the  next  to  the  best  tablecloth,  and  the 
glass  dishes.  It  looks  as  though  we  were 
going  to  have  company.  I  should  think  Miss 
Greenleaf  was  coming." 


262         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"  It's  only  yourself  that's  come,  and  you're 
better  to  me  than  the  teacher.  I  wouldn't 
cross  you,  only  for  your  good.  I'm  not  sure 
but  I've  done  wrong  in  giving  my  word  to  let 
you  go,  the  day,  but  I  wouldn't  stand  against 
your  mother.  It's  long  since  I've  been  to 
my  own  church,  and  it's  little  I've  known  of 
any  other ;  but  the  mistress  and  the  master 
can't  be  bad.  If  it's  by  their  works  ye  shall 
know  them,  they  must  be  Christians." 

"  I  know  they  are,  granny ;  and  if  you 
would  go  to  the  Sunday  evening  meetings,  you 
would  know  there  are  lots  of  other  Chris- 
tians too.  I  wish  I  was  as  good  as  Jessie  and 
Harold.  I  try  not  to  flame  up  and  say  bad 
things,  but  they  come  before  I  think." 

"  Sure,  child,  I  was  thinking,  the  day,  that 
you've  changed  in  that." 

"  I  have  tried  to  change,  and  —  and  — 
when  I  do  bad  I  ask  God  to  forgive  me  and 
help  me  do  better  the  next  time." 

This  was  said  hesitatingly,  and,  to  Norah's 
great  relief,  no  reply  was  made.  Supper 
was  eaten  with  gladness,  if  not  with  thank- 


THE    PUBLIC    LIBRARY.  263 

fulness.  There  had  never  been  any  stint  of 
food  in  this  home,  and  already  there  was  a 
nicer  arrangement  than  had  once  been  thought 
necessary.  Mrs.  Rady,  old  as  .she  was,  AVUS 
learning  that  there  are  other  needs  than  those 
of  the  body.  The  kindness  shown  to  her 
granddaughter  by  these  whom  she  regarded 
as  above  her  had  both  surprised  and  grat- 
ified her.  Miss  Greenleaf  came  in  in  such 
a  friendly  Avay,  that  the  barriers  which  had 
seemed  to  hedge  them  around  were  fast  dis- 
appearing. 

"Read  noAv,  child,  Avill  you?"  said  the 
grandmother,  when  supper  Avas  over  and  the 
table  cleared. 

"  Yes,  granny,  I  AArill,"  replied  Xorah  quick- 
ly. "I  tried  to  get  a  book  you  Avould  like, 
and  I  guess  you  Avill  like  this  one.  Jessie 
said  it  was  good." 

"  I  shall  like  it  if  you  read  it ;  but  I'm 
thinking  there'll  not  be  another  stojry  as  sen- 
sible as  the  one  you  read  last  Aveek." 

The  book  proved  interesting,    and   when 


264   HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

Miss  Greenleaf  called  at  the  hour  for  meet- 
ing, Norah  was  still  reading. 

"  Will  I  go  ?  "  she  asked. 

"Sure,  you  will,  and  your  mother,  too,  if 
she  chooses.  I'll  just  be  resting  while  you're 
away,  and  glad  when  you  come  back." 

tf  O,  granny,  I  wish  you  were  going 
too.  It  isn't  like  church.  It's  only  talking, 
and  singing,  and  praying ;  and  it  is  the  same 
God  they  pray  to,  because,  you  know,  there 
isn't  but  one." 

rt  There's  but  one,  yet  I'll  bide  at  home 
while  you  go.  There'll  be  all  the  evenings 
but  Thursday  for  the  book." 

Miss  Austen  was  missed  from  her  accus- 
tomed seat,  but  there  was  no  lack  of  those 
willing  to  help  sustain  the  meeting.  Mr. 
Peavey  had  consented  to  lead ;  and  after  a 
short  prayer,  he  repeated  an  entire  psalm, 
which  he  said  expressed  the  real  sentiments  of 
his  heart.  He  had  been  young,  and  was  now 
old,  yet  he  had  never  seen  the  righteous  for- 
saken. 

"In  His  own  way,  God  manifests  Himself 


THE    PUBLIC   LIBRARY.  265 

to  His  people  as  He  does  not  to  the  world.  He 
may  wait  many  years,  but  the  promises  are 
sure ;  so  that  no  Cliristian  need  be  discour- 
aged, even  though  the  way  seem  dark. 
My  last  days  are  my  best  days ;  and  I  bless 
God  with  all  my  heart  and  soul  that  He  has 
preserved  me  alive  unto  the  present  time." 

Others  spoke  in  the  same  strain  of  thank- 
fulness. The  singing  echoed  their  words, 
and  the  prayers  were  especially  fervent. 

Esther  Wetherell  was  there,  her  plain  face 
lighted  up  with  interest,  and  her  voice  heard, 
as  she  responded  to  the  call  for  Bible  verses. 
She  had  come  from  home,  alone,  that  eve- 
ning, leaving  her  cousin  for  .another  week's 
absence. 

She  was  rapidly  acquiring  skill  in  her  mill 
work,  having  been  already  transferred  to 
the  place  Mr.  Bumstead  designed  for  her. 
Studying  under  Miss  Greenleafs  direction, 
she  showed  herself  a  ready  scholar ;  and,  with 
her  increased  wages,  dared  to  hope  for  even 
better  opportunities. 

Jane  Speny  wondered  that  she  could  ac- 


266        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

complish  so  much  ;  while  she,  in  turn,  won- 
dered at  each  week's  changes  in  her  home. 
There  was  always  something  new  to  relate, 
and  something  new  to  display.  The  south 
room  was  opened,  the  curtains  rolled  up,  and 
a  stand  of  thrifty  plants  set  where  the  sun 
would  shine  longest  upon  them.  The  occu- 
pant of  this  room,  too,  sat  in  the  sunshine  ; 
while  the  curtains  which  had  long  hung  over 
her  heart  parted  to  admit  the  genial  light  of 
friendship.  Occasionally  a  neighbor  invited 
her  to  ride  to  church,  or  made  her  an  after- 
noon visit,  which  was  a  mutual  pleasure. 

"  If  I  hadn't  been  so  hampered,  I  believe  I 
might  have  done  something  of  more  account 
than  I  have,"  she  said  to  Mrs.  Gray  when  they 
were  together.  "  When  I  was  young,  I  used 
to  wish  I  was  a  boy,  so  I  could  go  ahead  and 
do  what  I  wanted  to  ;  but  in  those  days  girls 
didn't  strike  out  for  themselves  as  they  do 
now.  They  took  things  pretty  much  as 
they  came,  and  often  they  came  hard." 

"  Things  generally  come  hard  to  them  that 
don't  do  anything  to  bring  them  'round.  But 


THE    PUBLIC    LIBRARY.      .  267 

there's  Miss  Austen  showing  us  what  ti  wo- 
man can  do  ;  and  just  that  helps  us  all,  even 
if  she  didn't  do  anything  else."  . 

"  So  it  does.  It  helps  every  woman  any- 
where 'round,  and  Esther  says  she  wants  girls 
to  learn  some  business  they  can  get  a  living 
by  without  being  dependent.  She  told  some- 
body, too,  she  thought  there  were  a  good 
many  women  who  ought  to  be  farmers.  / 
ought  to  be  a  farmer.  I  might  have  been  a 
good  one.  There's  my  six  acres  of  land,  but 
it  never  amounted  to  much  to  me.  I've  let 
it  for  pasture  for  almost  nothing,  till  it  has  all 
run  out ;  but  if  I  could  manage  to  get  started 
with  it,  I  could  raise  good  crops  and  keep 
some  stock.  Esther  and  I  were  talking  about 

O 

it  the  last  time  she  was  at  home.  It  would 
be  slow  work  at  first,  but  I  should  like  it  a 
good  deal  better  than  knitting,  and  puttering 
'round  as  I've  had  to.  I'm  going  to  ask  your 
husband  about  it." 

"He'll  tell  you  just  what  he  thinks, 
and  he  has  good  judgment  about  farm- 
ing. We  ought  to  help  you  too.  I 


268          HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

don't  know  what  we  should  have  done 
when  we  lived  by  the  brook,  if  it  hadn't 
been  for  you." 

"  I  didn't  do  half  I  wanted  to ;  but 
I  was  poor  then,  and  sometimes  Esther 
and  I  had  to  live  poorer  than  we  wanted 
to.  She  is  going  to  be  better  off  than  I  ever 
was." 

"  Why  shouldn't  she  be  ?  She  is  where  she 
can't  help  learning  all  the  time,  besides  earn- 
ing good  wages.  I  hope  she  will  keep  our 
school  next  summer,  and  others  hope  so  be- 
sides me." 

"I  don't  know  what  she  will  do,  but  Miss 
Greenleaf  says  she  learns  fast." 

Her  evening  scholars  were  a  source  of  both 
pleasure  and  profit  to  Alice  Greenleaf.  In 
preparing  herself  for  their  recitations  various 
subjects  for  study  were  suggested,  while  the 
eagerness  with  which  they  listened  to  instruc- 
tion kept  her  on  the  alert  for  their  benefit. 
Harold  possessed  by  far  the  most  active  and 
original  mind,  yet  Esther  YTethercll  and  Rob- 
ert Bumstead  were  much  above  the  average 


THE    PUBLIC    LIBRARY.  2(39 

in   quickness    of  perception   and   desire   for 
knowledge. 

Thursday  evening,  the  hall  was  crowded, 
and  those  having  the  meetings  in  charge  were 
expected  to  provide  entertainment  of  which 
no  one  could  reasonably  complain.  A  sub- 
scription was  started  for  the  purpose  of  es- 
tablishing a  library,  and  upon  Miss  Austen's 
return  Mr.  Elliot  gave  her  a  list  of  names, 
•with  the  sums  which  had  been  already 
pledged. 

"You  have  done  more  than  well,"  she 
said,  after  glancing  at  the  paper  in  her  hand. 
"I  expected  to  furnish  the  library  myself." 

"I  knew  that  you  did,  but  we  shall  all 
value  it  more  if  it  costs  us  something ;  and 
no  one  has  given  beyond  his  or  her  means, 
unless  it  is  Mrs.  Rady.  I  told  her  I  thought 
she  had  pledged  too  much,  but  she  said  she 
knew  best,  and  Xorah  would  soon  have  the 
whole  library  through  unless  it  was  large. 
She  is  a  whole-souled  woman,  Miss  Austen, 
if  she  i.f  a  Catholic.  There  is  hope  of  her 
too.  Now  that  Mrs.  Borine  and  Xorah  are 


270  HAROLD   DORSE Y'S   FORTUNE. 

coming  out  to  meeting  I  shall  not  be  sur- 
prised to  see  her." 

"  I  do  not  expect  that,  Mr.  Elliot,  but  it 
may  be  that  she  will  receive  enough  of  truth 
into  her  heart  to  make  her  wise  unto  salva- 
tion. I  have  not  seen  her  yet.  This  after- 
noon I  must  go  down  to  the  mill  and  look  at 
my  friends.  I  suppose  I  shall  lose  some  of 
them  by  next  spring.  Harold  will  be  going." 

"  I  presume  he  will.  He  does  not  speak 
of  it,  but  I  think  the  desire  to  attend  school 
groAvs  upon  him,  and  I  shall  encourage  his 
going  in  the  spring." 

"  He  cannot  do  better  than  go  to  the  same 
academy  with  Dick  Fielding.  It  is  a  first- 
class  school,  with  a  fine  corps  of  teachers. 
The  charges  are  not  extravagant,  and  his  sur- 
roundings will  be  favorable  to  general  im- 
provement. It  would  be  pleasanter  for  him, 
too,  to  have  i\  friend  there,  although  he 
knows  how  to  make  friends  for  himself." 

"  Yes,  Miss  Austen,  he  does ;  and  he  has 
gained  so  much  in  self-reliance  that  he  would 
not  shrink  from  going  among  strangers  ;  yet, 


THE    PUBLIC    LIBRARY.  271 

your  nephew's  friendship  would  be  of  great 
value  to  him.  I  shall  be  sorry  for  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Peavey  when  he  goes,  but  they  will 
think  of  his  interest  more  than  of  their  own." 

"  He  will  not  forget  them." 

"  He  never  forgets  a  kindness,  and  he  says 
he  has  no  tmkindness  to  remember.  He  can 
afford  to  be  magnanimous." 

"  Indeed  he  can,  Mr.  Elliot,  and  I  hope  to 
see  him  all  he  has  the  ability  to  be.  I  am 
interested  in  a  large  number  of  young  peo- 
ple as  well  as  of  older  people." 

"  There  is  more  to  hope  for  from  the 
young.  They  have  their  life  all  before 
them." 

"  Yes ;  but  after  experience,  which  has 
well  done  its  work,  there  come  the  glorious 
autumn  days  of  life,  when  the  richest  har- 
vests are  garnered  in." 


272        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

HAROLD    DORSE Y    IN    SCHOOL. 

THE  winter  was  one  of  great  prosperity 
to  Austenville.  The  land  around  the 
sources  of  the  brook  was  purchased ;  and 
this  with  some  other  purchases,  gave  to  the 
mill  company  the  virtual  control  of  the  stream 
above  them.  The  towns-people  rejoiced  at 
this,  as  a  promise  of  still  larger  investments 
in  manufacturing.  New  buildings  were 
erected  in  place  of  those  which  had  fallen 
into  decay,  but  which  had  been  used  tem- 
porarily since  the  re-occupancy  of  the  mill. 
The  carefully  selected  library  was  kept  at 
the  great  house,  but  other  provision  would 
be  made  for  it  when  the  new  hall  was  com- 
pleted. There  was  much  talk  of  our  library, 
our  school,  our  meetings,  and  our  hall;  all 
of  which  tended  to  draw  the  workmen  and 


HAROLD    DORSE Y   IN    SCHOOL.  273 

workwomen  into  closer  sympathy  with  each 
other  and  with  their  employers. 

Mr.  Gatchell  enlarged  his  store,  and  added 
to  his  stock  a  better  grade  of  goods  than  he 
had  formerly  kept. 

Miss  Greenleafs  school  was  the  banner 
school  of  the  town,  and  she  was  engaged 
for  another  year.  An  evening  was  devoted 
to  the  examination  of  those  she  had  taught 
out  of  school  hours,  when  all  present  ac- 
corded great  praise  to  teacher  and  pupils. 

This  examination  was  in  fact  the  graduat- 
ing exercise  for  Harold  Dorsey,  who  was 
soon  to  leave.  He  had  a  hundred  dollars, 
part  of  which  he  had  saved  from  his  earn- 
ings, and  part  of  which  Mr.  Stuart  had 
insisted  upon  his  accepting  as  a  loan.  With 
this  he  was  to  join  Dick  Fielding  as  a  student 
in  the  academy,  at  the  opening  of  the  spring 
term. 

ft  I  haint  a  word  to  say  against  it,  'though 
seems  to  me  everything  in  the  house  and  out- 
doors will  miss  you,"  responded  Mr.  Peavey, 
when  told  of  this  decision.  "  We've  kept 

18 


274        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

you  longer  than  we  expected  to,  and  it's  fit- 
ting you  should  go.  We  won't  talk  any 
more  about  it  now,  but  to-morrow,  maybe, 
we  shall  have  something  more  to  say." 

Mrs.  Peavey  did  not  speak.  She  felt  that 
they  were  to  lose  Harold  for  the  remainder 
of  their  lives ;  yet  she  was  no  less  willing 
than  her  husband  to  do  what  she  could  for 
him. 

"  We've  been  talking  it  over  between  our- 
selves, Harold  ;  and,  as  you've  made  up  your 
mind  to  go  to  school,  we've  made  up  our 
minds  what  we'll  do  about  it,"  said  the  old 
man  the  next  day.  "We've  got  a  little  saved 
up,  and  we  want  to  give  you  fifty  dollars  of 
it  to  help  you  get  started.  It's  in  a  note  that 
I  can  get  the  money  on  at  short  notice,  and 
I'll  have  it  ready  for  you  in  season.  I  wish 
it  was  more,  but  —  " 

"  Why,  Mr.  Peavey,  do  you  think  I  would 
take  money  from  you  ?  "  cried  the  young  man , 
as  tears  filled  his  eyes.  "  You  and  your  wife 
have  done  more  for  me  than  anybody  else 
ever  did,  and  I  would  rather  never  go  to 


HAROLD    DORSET   IN    SCHOOL.  275 

school  a  day  than  take  a  cent  of  your  money. 
I  thank  you  all  the  same,  and  I  can't  tell  you 
how  much  good  it  does  me  to  know  that  you 
cared  enough  for  me  to  think  of  it,  but  you 
must  keep  the  money  for  yourselves.  If 
God  spares  my  life,  you  shall  not  want  for  a 
friend  to  care  for  you  in  your  old  age." 

"  But,  Harold,  we  want  to  help  you  some," 
urged  Mrs.  Peavey.  "We  should  feel  better 
to  do  it,  and  then  if  we  ever  need  it  you 
could  pay  it  back." 

"  If  I  need  it  I  will  borrow  it,  but  I  mean 
to  earn  as  I  go.  I  am  to  work  with  Mr. 
Elliot  through  the  summer  vacation,  and  that 
will  give  me  something  towards  paying  my 
bills  for  the  fall  term." 

"  I  should  'most  thought  you'd  waited  till 
fall,  and  then  start  fair." 

"  It  will  take  me  one  term  to  find  out  who 
and  where  I  am.  The  other  students  know 
what  school  is,  while  all  will  be  new  to  me." 

"  It  will  be  like  a  new  world  to  you,  my 
boy,  but  the  same  God  will  hold  you  ac- 
countable for  what  you  do." 


276        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"  I  shall  never  forget  that,  and  I  shall 
never  intentionally  do  what  I  know  to  be 
wrong,"  said  Harold. 

He  worked  as  usual  until  the  day  before 
he  was  to  leave,  and  this  he  spent  in  calling 
upon  his  friends  and  doing  some  last  tilings 
at  home.  He  was  well  provided  with  suita- 
ble clothing.  He  had  the  means  for  purchas- 
ing necessary  books,  and  there  was  no  rea- 
son why  he  should  feel  any  misgivings. 
Miss  Austen  bestowed  upon  him  some  sub- 
stantial gifts,  which  he  accepted  gratefully ; 
and  Mr.  Elliot  assured  him  of  a  friendship 
which  would  never  fail  him. 

"You  have  a  work  to  do  in  the  world 
which  no  one  else  can  do,"  said  this  friend. 
"  The  discipline  of  your  life  has  not  been 
without  its  purpose.  All  I  can  do  for  you 
I  will  do,  and  may  God  bless  you  with  the 
choicest  of  His  blessings." 

With  the  opening  of  the  spring,  business 
in  Austenville  received  a  fresh  impetus.  The 
running  capacity  of  the  mill  was  taxed  to  its 
utmost.  There  were  two  relays  of  help ;  one 


HAROLD   DORSET   IN    SCHOOL.  277 

working  by  day  and  the  other  by  night,  and, 
when  occasion  demanded,  some  worked  extra 
hours,  that  there  might  be  no  break  in  the 
time.  Of  these,  Mrs.  Rady  was  one,  pro- 
testing that  she  was  better  able  than  most, 
and  had  greater  need  to  do  what  she  could. 

"  I  am  just  doing  it  for  Norah,"  she  said  to 
Miss  Austen.  w  She's  not  like  her  mother  or 
me.  She  can't  be  working  at  the  loom,  and 
I'd  not  have  her  do  it  if  she  would.  She 
was  like  her  father,  but  she's  that  changed  at 
home  I'd  hardly  be  knowing  her  but  for  her 
face.  She's  that  mild  and  loving,  when  she 
used  to  flame  up  and  say  things  that  hurt  me. 
It's  not  many  years  more  I  can  work,  but  while 
I  can  I'll  be  laying  up  for  her.  She  must  go 
to  school,  and  there's  music  in  her  fingers 
that  must  come  out.  Her  mother's  not 
strong,  as  I've  been,  and  so  I  must  keep  on 
doing." 

"  Norah  ought  to  be  very  grateful  to  you, 
Mrs.  Rady,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  she 
will  be." 

"It's   not  the  grateful,  but   the   loving  I 


278        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

want,  and  that's  what  I  get,  till  it  warms 
my  old  heart  clear  through." 

M  Norah  is  a  bright  girl,  and  she  will  make 
a  fine  woman,  to  repay  you  for  all  you  do." 

"  I'm  not  looking  for  pay,  Miss.  It's  only 
to  have  her  happy  and  satisfied,  and  doing 
the  things  she  likes.  Jessie  Elliot  will,  may 
be,  be  going  off  somewhere  to  school,  and 
why  not  Norah  go  with  her  ?  " 

"  There  is  no  reason  why  she  should  not 
go,  if  you  choose  to  be  at  the  expense  of 
sending  her." 

"  I  do  choose,  Miss,  but  not  till  she  's  done 
with  Miss  Greenleaf.  Begging  your  pardon, 
the  teacher  is  every  inch  a  lady." 

w  Certainly  she  is,  and  we  are  fortunate  to 
have  her  among  us." 

rf  That  we  are,  and  we'll  be  fortunate  to 
have  her  back." 

The  people  of  her  native  town  were  anx- 
ious that  Alice  Greenleaf  should  remain  with 
them.  Her  old  home,  as  she  had  builded  it, 
piece  by  piece,  was  very  dear  to  her.  She 
could  see  where  she  might  make  many  im- 


HAROLD    DORSE Y   IN    SCHOOL.  279 

provements,  and  she  longed  to  put  her  own 
hands  to  the  work ;  but  there  was  more  for 
her  in  Austen ville  than  here,  and  she  was  glad 
when  she  saw  Mr.  Bumstead  at  the  station. 

"  Esther  has  left  us,"  he  said  as  they  drove 
homeward.  "The  people  in  the  district 
where  her  cousin  lives  wanted  her  to  keep 
the  school,  and  she  is  going  to.  She  said 
she  thought  she'd  come  back  in  the  fall ;  but 
for  the  summer  she  has  her  plans ;  and  Miss 
Austen  advised  her  to  go,  'though  we  didn't 
like  to  lose  her." 

"  I  shall  miss  her." 

"  So  shall  we  all.  She'll  not  be  making 
the  wages  she  did  in  the  mill,  and  she'll  not 
be  spending  the  same  number  of  hours.  Mr. 
Gray  says  there's  farming  to  be  done  at 
home,  and  she  is  to  help." 

Mr.  Gray  could  speak  with  authority,  as 
he  had  been  consulted  upon  the  subject. 
Miss  Sperry  was  ready  to  begin  in  a  small 
way,  according  to  her  means,  hoping  for  an 
increase  as  time  went  on.  In  her  barn  was  a 
cow,  for  which  she  had  paid  by  hard  work. 


280        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

She  had  declined  to  let  her  pasture,  and  \vas 
fencing  off  two  acres  for  mowing  where  the 
grass  was  best.  Every  foot  of  her  garden 
had  been  ploughed,  and  she  proposed  to  have 
as  good  a  crop  of  vegetables  as  any  farmer  in 
town.  She  and  Esther  could  do  the  neces- 
sary work,  and  another  year  she  would  have 
an  acre  taken  out  of  the  pasture  for  cultiva- 
tion. Meanwhile,  she  could  feed  a  small 
flock  of  sheep,  and  this  flock  was  soon  seen 
on  the  best  of  terms  with  her  cow. 

"  Fifty  years  old,  and  just  begun  to 
live,"  she  exclaimed  one  morning  as  she 
brought  in  a  brimming  pail  of  milk.  "  The 
folks  'round  here  aint  used  to  women  far- 
mers, but  they  must  get  used  to  one." 

"  And  a  successful  one,  too,"  responded 
Esther  Wetherell. 

"Well,  I  hope  so,  though  it  aint  best  to 
say  much  till  I  see  how  I  come  out.  I  shan't 
have  much  to  sell  this  year  except  some  but- 
ter and  a  little  wool ;  but  we  shall  have  the 
pig,  and  butter  and  milk  enough  for  ourselves." 

"And  all  that  grows  in  the  garden." 


HAROLD    DORSET    IN    SCHOOL.  281 

"  Yes ;  and  things  are  coming  up  there 
thick  enough.  We  shall  have  a  job  of  weed- 
ing and  transplanting,  but  I  guess  we  can  get 
through  with  it.  We  can't  afford  to  hire  any 
more  than  we  are  obliged  to." 

"  I  am  to  do  the  hiring,  Cousin  Jane,  and 
so  pay  something  towards  my  board  for  all 
these  years.  I  bemn  to  feel  rich.  This  is  a 

*/  c^ 

very  comfortable,  pleasant  house  for  summer 
and  winter  too." 

"  I  didn't  use  to  think  it  was  very  pleasant, 
but  that  was  because  I  kept  the  pleasantest, 
most  comfortable  part  of  it,  shut  up.  That  is 
the  way  a  good  many  folks  do  'round  here,  but 
I  shan't  do  it  again.  We've  got  a  good  cool 
pantry  for  our  milk  and  butter;  and  we've 
got  rooms  good  enough  for  ourselves,  and 
we'll  use  them.  The  vines  we  planted  last 
month  have  got  well  started,  so  they'll  shade 
the  south  room  windows,  and  that  was  all  we 
needed  on  that  side  of  the  house.  If  you  get 
along  well  at  keeping  school,  and  I  make  my 
plans  all  work,  we  shall  have  a  good  store 
laid  by  for  winter." 


282     HAROLD  DORSE Y'S  FORTUNE. 

No  one  doubted  that  Esther  Wetherell 
would  do  well  in  school,  and  no  one  was 
disappointed  in  the  result.  She  impressed 
her  scholars  with  something  of  her  own  am- 
bition, and  when  the  day  for  examination 
arrived  they  acquitted  themselves  to  their 
own  and  their  teacher's  credit.  The  school- 
room was  filled.  Every  parent  was  present, 
with  others  not  living  in  the  district.  Short, 
congratulatory  speeches  were  made,  in  which 
all  were  remembered  and  complimented. 

It  was  a  proud  day  for  Jane  Sperry ;  in 
honor  of  which  she  wore  her  best  dress,  and 
consented  to  an  arrangement  of  her  hair,  tak- 
ing from  her  apparent  age  at  least  ten  years. 
Sitting  there  after  school  was  dismissed,  with 
the  hum  of  voices  all  around  her,  and  a  smile 
upon  her  face,  she  looked  little  like  the  wo- 
man who  had  presented  herself  before  Miss 
Austen  for  the  sale  of  stockings. 

"  Well,  Jane,  I  don't  believe  you  are  any 
sorry  you  took  Esther  to  live  with  you,"  said 
Mr.  Gray. 

"  Sorry  !  "   she   repeated.      "  I   never  was 


HAROLD   DORSEY   IN    SCHOOL.  283 

sorry.  Esther  hadn't  anywhere  else  to  go, 
and  I  hadn't  anybody  else  to  live  with  me. 
I  did  all  I  could  for  her,  and  now  she  can  do 
for  herself.  She  is  getting  beyond  me,  but  I 
aint  sorry  for  that  either." 

They  walked  home  together,  and  entered 
their  home,  thankful  that  the  lines  had  fallen 
to  them  in  such  pleasant  places.  Miss 
Sperry  seated  herself  in  the  large  rocking- 
chair  which,  until  a  few  months  before,  had 
for  many  years  occupied  the  darkest  corner 
of  the  best  room. 

"  I  didn't  expect  to  see  anywhere  near  so 
many  folks,"  she  remarked  when  Esther 
came  in  from  the  kitchen.  "  They  must 
have  thought  there  would  be  a  good  deal 
to  hear,  and  there  was.  It  made  me 
ashamed  of  my  ignorance,  but  I  hope 
you  won't  ever  be  ashamed  of  your  old 
cousin." 

"  I  only  hope  she  will  have  no  reason  to  be 
ashamed  of  me.  But  now  let  us  have  our 
supper.  If  Mr.  Bumstead  should  come  for 
me  Monday  morning  I  shall  need  every  min- 


284        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

ute  of  this  evening  and  to-morrow  to  work  in 
the  garden.  Weeds  grow  all  summer." 

"  I  have  learned  that  to  my  sorrow,  but 
they  aint  going  to  get  the  upper  hands  of  us. 
Folks  can  do  'most  anything  they  set  out  to, 
if  they  only  keep  steady  at  it ;  and  I  am 
going  to  keep  at  farming  as  long  as  I  can 
milk  a  cow  and  make  a  pound  of  butter. 
Mr.  Gatchell  don't  give  me  .a  chance  to  get 
much  butter  ahead,  but  we  won't  scrimp 
ourselves.  Scrimping  don't  pay,  not  when 
you  can  help  it.  Sometimes  you  can't,  and 
then  there  aint  any  other  way.  I  wondered 
this  afternoon  if  you'd  be  satisfied  without 
going  to  school  any  more." 

"  I  intend  to  go,  but  the  right  time  has  not 
come  yet.  Miss  Greenleaf  wants  to  go,  too, 
and  perhaps  we  shall  go  together." 

"  She  won't  go  for  a  year." 

"  No  ;  and  I  am  not  ready  to  leave  you  at 
present." 

"  I  am  glad  of  that,  but  when  you  are 
ready  I  shan't  stand  in  your  way.  When 
Harold  Dorsey  comes  AVC  shall  hear  a  report 


HAROLD    DORSET   IN    SCHOOL.  285 

from  school.  Everybody  wants  to  see  him, 
and  I  want  to  know  how  much  beyond  you 
he  is  in  his  studies.  I  don't  believe  he  has 
gained  much  on  you.  You  have  studied  a 
good  deal  this  summer." 

"I  have,  but  it  is  different  from  studying 
in  school ;  and  besides,  Harold  is  a  quicker 
scholar  than  I  am.  Considering  the  way  he 
was  brought  up,  no  one  here  can  compare 
with  him.  Mr.  Stuart  says  he  could  not, 
himself,  have  done  half  so  well.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Peavey  will  have  a  jubilee  when  he 
comes.  The  old  man  will  repeat  a  psalm  of 
thanksgiving,  and  thank  the  Lord  for  mani- 
fold mercies.  That  is  what  he  always  does 
when  he  is  so  happy  his  own  words  fail  him." 

"  Did  you  ever  think,  Esther,  that  perhaps 
when  Harold  comes  back,  things  won't  look 
to  him  us  they  used  to  ?  He  may  not  care  so 
much  for  the  old  folks." 

Some  such  thought  had  caused  them  a 
little  anxiety ;  but  all  this  was  dispelled  when 
they  heard  his  hearty  greeting  and  felt  the 
clasp  of  his  hand.  They  had  seen  him  com- 


286         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

ing  in  the  big  wagon  with  Mr.  Bumstead,  and 
stood  outside  the  door  to  receive  him.  For 
the  first  time,  Mrs.  Peavey  kissed  him,  apol- 
ogizing, by  saying : 

"  I  couldn't  help  it,  Harold.  I  was  so  glad 
to  see  you,  I  didn't  think  what  I  was  doing." 

"Thank  you  for  it,"  he  answered  with  a 
smile  which  had  all  his  heart  in  it.  "  I  never 
remember  being  kissed  in  my  life,  unless  it 
was  before  I  lived  with  Mr.  Dorsey,  until 
Miss  Greenleaf  kissed  me  the  night  before  I 
went  away.  While  I  was  gone,  some  little 
children  kissed  me,  and  it  is  good  to  be  wel- 
comed home  with  a  kiss.  It  is  good  to  be 
here  too." 

"  As  good  as  being  in  school  ?  " 

"Each  is  good  in  its  season,  and  school 
has  been  better  for  knowing  that  I  could 
come  here  when  the  term  was  over.  Now 
I  will  take  my  trunk  up-stairs,  and  then  I 
shall  be  ready  for  supper,  which  I  see  is 
waiting." 

"Yes,  Harold,  and  mother  did  her  best 
for  it." 


HAROLD   DORSET   IN    SCHOOL.  287 

"I  know  how  good  that  is,  and  I  shall 
bring  to  it  a  school-boy's  appetite." 

The  walls  of  the  low  chamber  had  been 
papered,  and  where  the  floor  was  not  covered 
with  rugs,  it  was  white  as  it  could  be  made. 
The  broad  window  was  tastefully  curtained, 
and  there  had  been  added  to  the  furniture 
several  new  articles. 

"How  do  you  like  the  changes  we  have 
made  up-stairs  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Peavey. 

"I  like  them  very  much,  but  I  am  afraid 
you  have  taken  too  much  trouble  for  me,"  was 
replied. 

"  Not  so  much  as  we'd  been  glad  to,  Har- 
old. I  told  father  we  would  do  a  little.  I 
wished  we  could  raise  up  the  roof,  buf  we 
couldn't  afford  the  expense.  If  the  roof  was 
set  up  as  Mr.  Elliot's  is,  we  could  have  two 
good  chambers,  and  may  be  we  shall  some 
time.  It  has  always  been  good  enough  for 
us,  but  if  we  are  going  to  have  a  student 
coming  'round  two  or  three  times  a  year,  we 
must  have  things  better.  You've  grown  since 
you've  been  gone,  and  Miss  Austen  told  us 


288        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

you'd  done  as  well  as  any  scholar  in  school, 
besides  working  for  your  board.  That  was 
too  much." 

"Not  too  much  for  my  health.  I  could  do 
it  easily.  I  am  stronger  than  most  young 
men,  and  I  needed  the  exercise.  It  was  bet- 
ter for  me  to  work  as  I  did,  and  now  I  am  all 
ready  for  six  weeks  of  good  hard  work  here." 

"  You  have  two  months'  vacation." 

"Yes,  sir,  but  I  intend  to  spend  a  week  or 
two  near  my  old  home." 

"Shall  you  go  alone?" 

WI  expect  to.  Dick  Fielding  is  coming 
here  with  his  sister  and  cousins,  but  I  pre- 
sume they  will  not  care  to  go  over  again  the 
road  we  travelled  last  summer.  You  have 
been  well  while  I  was  away.  You  must  have 
been,  or  you  could  not  have  done  what  you 
have." 

"Yes,  Harold,  we  have  been  well.  We 
haven't  had  a  sick  day,  and  things  have  pros- 
pered with  us.  Folks  seem  to  have  prospered 
all  'round.  There  has  been  a  good  deal  of 
visiting  back  and  forth  among  neighbors  that 


HAROLD   DORSEY    IX   SCHOOL.  289 

haven't  seen  much  of  each  other  for  a  good 
many  years,  and  we've  been  invited  to  tea  at 
the  great  house.  We  wrote  you  about  that. 
It's  a  nice  place,  aint  it?" 

"Yes,  ma'am,  and  it  is  a  blessing  to  the 
town  to  have  it  occupied." 

"  Yes,  and  the  mill  started  up  everything 
else  with  it.  There  has  been  more  building 
done  in  town  this  year  than  in  the  last  ten ; 
and  folks  arc  talking  now  that  some  time 
there  will  be  a  larger  mill  beside  the  old  one. 
That  would  make  quite  a  village  of  Austen- 
ville.  I  asked  Mr.  Elliot  about  it,  and  he 
said  it  wouldn't  be  strange  if  that  all  hap- 
pened." 

19 


290    HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 


CHAPTEE  XVII. 

BORN    TO   BE    A   LEADER. 

THROUGH  the  woods,  treading  the  path 
now  partly  overgrown  with  creeping 
vines  and  tiny  plants.  These  were  noted, 
yet  Harold  did  not  stay  his  steps.  Dear  as 
was  to  him  every  stem  and  leaf  growing  from 
the  luxuriant  soil,  friends  were  dearer  far, 
and  there  were  many  to  be  seen. 

"  Harold,  boy,  or  man  as  you  are  now, 
I  have  been  watching  for  you.  I  knew  you 
would  not  sleep  without  coming  here." 

"  I  think  I  could  not  sleep,  so  near,  until  I 
had  been  here.  How  you  have  improved 
your  house  ! " 

"  How  you  have  improved  your  mind,  if  all 
reports  are  true,  and  I  doubt  not  they  are." 
"  I  have  done  the  best  I  could,  Mr.  Elliot." 
"  And  made  a  beginning  of  the  end  ?  " 
"  I  hope  I  have.     But  where  is  Jessie?" 


BORN   TO   BE    A   LEADER.  291 

"  She  was  here  a  moment  ago." 

She  was  there  a  moment  later,  shaking 
hands  with  Harold,  who  seemed  to  her  to 
have  grown  so  much,  that  she  could  not  ad- 
dress him  with  her  usual  familiarity.  She, 
too,  had  grown ;  but  she  was  still  a  child, 
living  for  her  father,  and  happy  in  so  doing. 
Their  visitor  did  not  remain  long ;  but  with 
a  promise  to  come  again,  went  to  call  upon 
Miss  Austen. 

There  was  a  scarcely  definable  change  in 
his  manner,  yet  she  was  quick  to  note  it,  and 
attribute  it  to  a  corresponding  mental  change. 
To  her,  he  could  speak  of  his  experiences 
in  school  with  more  freedom  than  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Peavey,  who  would  fail  to  comprehend 
some  influences  plain  to  her. 

"  You  have  had  an  opportunity  to  measure 
yourself  with  others  engaged  in  the  same 
pursuits,"  she  remarked. 

"Yes,  ma'am,  and  it  was  what  I  needed," 
he  replied.  "  I  know  now  where  I  stand  and 
what  I  must  learn." 

"You  are  not  discouraged?" 


292         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"  Not  at  all.  I  know  what  I  can  do, 
and  if  I  live  and  am  well,  I  shall  succeed. 
Dick  Fielding  has  been  a  great  help  to  me. 
I  tried  not  to  make  him  ashamed  of  me." 

"He  was  never  ashamed  of  you,  Harold. 
He  wrote  me  that,  at  first,  you  had  none  of 
the  awkwardness  most  students  have  when 
entering  a  new  school.  He  says  you  have 
helped  him." 

"I  am  glad  if  I  have.  He  will  be  coming 
here  soon." 

"  Yes,  and  I  hope  we  shall  see  you  often 
during  your  vacation." 

"Thank  you.  I  shall  be  happy  to  come 
when  I  can,  but  I  must  work.  I  am  to  com- 
mence with  Mr.  Elliot  in  the  morning,  and 
there  are  some  things  I  must  do  at  home." 

"  You  think  you  will  be  able  to  go  on  with 
your  studies  without  interruption." 

"  I  think  so." 

Here,  the  coming  of  Edward  Stuart  inter- 
rupted them  ;  he  giving  to  Harold  Dorsey  as 
cordial  a  welcome  as  he  would  have  given  to 
one  of  his  brothers. 


BORN    TO   BE    A    LEADER.  293 

w  Ready  for  haying?  "  he  asked. 

"  Yes,  sir,  and  Mr.  Elliot  says  haying  is 
ready  for  me.  There  will  be  a  heavy  crop." 

"  Yes,  the  land  is  beginning  to  pay  a  good 
profit.  Mr.  Elliot  and  Mr.  Gray  are  good 
farmers,  doing  everything  well  they  under- 
take." 

"  That  is  true,"  chimed  in  Mr.  Bumstead, 
who,  with  his  wife  and  Robert,  had  been 
walking  in  a  remote  part  of  the  grounds. 
"  We  don't  have  poor  workers  on  the  prem- 
ises ;  and  it  is  glad  I  am  to  see  one  of  our 
best  workers  back  here.  "Will  you  take  Rob- 
ert when  you  go  next  time  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  if  you  wish  him  to  go." 

"  "We  might  as  well  be  wishing  it,  and  he 
wild  to  go,"  said  Mrs.  Bumstead,  who  hud 
shaken  hands  with  Harold  while  her  husband 
was  talking.  "  Speak  for  yourself,  lad,"  she 
added,  turning  to  the  boy. 

But  Robert  preferred  to  do  this  more  pri- 
vately, and  Harold  soon  left,  to  redeem  his 
promise  to  Mr.  Elliot  and  call  upon  Miss 
Greenleaf,  who  said  to  him  : 


294        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"  I  wish  you  were  my  brother ;  "  when  he 
responded  heartily : 

"  I  wish  you  were  my  sister." 

She  was  interested  to  know  the  exact  num- 
ber of  pages  he  had  learned  in  history  ;  how 
far  he  had  progressed  in  Latin ;  how  many 
themes  he  had  written,  and  how  often  he  had 
practised  declamation.  He  told  her  how  he 
had  managed  in  regard  to  his  expenses,  and 
how  small  a  sum  had  sufficed  for  his  needs. 
With  what  he  had,  and  \vhat  he  could  earn, 
he  calculated  to  go  through  college  without 
incurring  any  debts. 

"  But  I  am  afraid  your  health  will  break 
down." 

"I  was  never  sick  a  day  in  my  life," 
he  replied  to  this  expression  of  solicitude. 
"  When  I  am  tired,  I  sleep  and  am  rested.  I 
rest  faster  now  than  I  used  to,  because  I 
spend  no  time  in  wondering.  My  way  is  all 
plain  before  me." 

"  Do  you  mean  that  you  have  decided  upon 
your  profession,  or  work  for  life?" 

"  No,    ma'am,    I   only  mean   that  I  must 


BORN    TO    BE    A    LEADER.  295 

work,  and  learn,  and  do  all  the  good  I  can  as 
I  go  along.  There  are  so  many  who  seem 
not  to  think  of  doing  good.  I  wonder  why." 

"  I  have  often  wondered  at  the  selfishness 
of  people,  although  I  have  always  found 
friends  ready  to  help  me." 

"So  have  I,  Miss  Greenleaf.  From  the 
time  I  first  stopped  at  Mr.  Peavey's  door,  I 
have  been  constantly  helped,  and  I  expect  to 
find  friends  as  long  as  I  live.  People  here  in 
Austenville  are  mutual  helpers.  I  have  not 
seen  Norah  yet,  but  I  suppose  she  is  well." 

"  She  is  very  well,  and  usually  very  happy. 
She  is  trying  to  subdue  her  quick  temper, 
and  she  is  as  diligent  a  -scholar  as  I  have  in 
school.  She  would  be  glad  to  see  you,  but 
she  is  shy  of  strangers,  and  now  that  you 
have  been  away  so  long,  she  will  consider  you 
a  stranger." 

"  I  am  sorry,  for  I  have  no  time  to  make 
new  acquaintances.  I  must  not  stay  longer 
now.  The  old  people  will  be  waiting  for  me." 

"  You  are  thoughtful  for  them." 

tf  Yes,  ma'am,  and  they  are  thoughtful  for 


296        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

me.  They  took  me  in  when  I  had  no  home, 
and  I  should  be  very  ungrateful  to  neglect 
them  now." 

"You  will  never  be  guilty  of  ingratitude, 
Harold." 

"  I  hope  I  shall  not,  Miss  Greenleaf,  and  I 
have  so  much  to  be  grateful  for,  it  keeps  my 
heart  running  over  all  the  time." 

The  old  people  were  talking  of  him.  In- 
deed, they  could  talk  of  nothing  else.  lie 
had  come  back  to  them  taller,  manlier,  and 
finer  looking,  yet  with  the  same  warm  heart 
and  kindly  sympathy. 

"  We  can't  expect  he  will  always  be  so," 
said  Mrs.  Peavey.  "  We  must  make  up  our 
minds  to  see  him  look  over  our  heads  some 
time." 

"  I  aint  going  to  make  up  my  mind  to  any 
such  thing,"  was  replied.  "  If  it  comes,  I'll 
bear  it  as  well  as  I  can,  but  as  long  as  he 
whistles  like  that,  he  won't  get  so  far  above 
me  that  I  can't  see  him.  He  has  just  come 
out  of  the  woods,  and  he  will  be  here  pres- 
ently." 


BORN   TO    BE    A    LEADER.  297 

"  It  is  pleasant  to  come  home  at  night,"  he 
said,  as  he  entered  the  kitchen  with  a  bound. 
"  I  have  anticipated  it  many  times  when  I  was 
away,  and  now  I  realize  it." 

The  day  closed  as  days  always  closed  in 
that  home  ;  and  with  the  words  of  prayer 
upon  their  lips,  its  inmates  lay  down  to  sleep, 
waking  in  the  morning,  refreshed  and  ready 
for  work. 

Austenville  was  itself  again,  with  a  full 
working  force  ;  all  devoted  to  the  interest  of 
their  employers,  although  some  were  looking 
forward  to  other  and  more  congenial  labors. 
The  great  house  received  the  same  company 
of  young  people  who  had  spent  the  previous 
summer  there,  and  the  hearty  greeting  be- 
tween Dick  Fielding  and  Harold  Dorsey  at- 
tested to  their  friendship.  Clarke  Stuart, 
too,  was  glad  to  claim  Harold  as  a  friend ; 
while  Mason  pronounced  him  grander  than 
ever. 

Robert  Bumstead  stood  somewhat  in  the 
background  socially,  but  he  had  his  plans 
for  putting  himself  in  a  better  position.  His 


298        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

grandfather  and  grandmother  had  yielded  not 
unwillingly  to  his  desire  to  attend  school. 
Mr.  Bumstead  could  afford  the  expense  ;  and 
his  eyes  had  been  opened  to  see  that  Robert 
required  a  different  training  from  what  he 
had  himself  received. 

"We  have  but  him,  and  we  will  do  what 
we  can  for  him,"  safd  Mrs.  Bumstead.  "What 
is  well  enough  for  us  would  be  that  poor  for 
him  as  to  keep  him  fretting.  I  mind,  now, 
how  I  was  fretted  when  I  was  a  girl,  for  what 
I  couldn't  have.  We'll  send  Robert  to  school 
till  he's  had  enough  of  it." 

w  Yes,  wife,  we'll  send  him,  but  he'll  not 
have  enough  of  it  as  long  as  there's  a  book 
before  him.  We've  come  upon  strange  times 
here,  with  the  boys  and  girls  at  the  library ; 
and  when  the  proper  room  is  finished  for  it, 
Miss  Austen  is  to  make  an  addition.  So  Mr. 
Stuart  says,  and  he  knows.  There  are  no 
secrets  between  them  about  the  business  here ; 
and  I'm  thinking  Clarke  Stuart  has  a  mind  to 
learn  it.  He  asked  me  many  a  question  to- 
day about  the  quality  of  wool  and  cloth.  It 


BORN   TO    BE    A   LEADER.  299 

would  be  a  fine  thing  if  all  the  buying  and 
selling,  and  all  the  profits  could  be  kept  in  the 
family." 

"  Mason  don't  care  much  for  the  mill." 

"  Not  as  Clarke  does.  He  has  too  many 
projects  in  his  head,  to  stop  to  study  up  the 
business  from  the  bottom." 

Mason  renewed  his  acquaintance  with  Jessie 
and  Norah ;  each  of  whom  invited  him  and 
Robert,  with  the  younger  girls,  to  a  tea  party, 
at  which  the  entertainment  was  worthy  of  the 
guests.  In  place  of  "camping  out,"  there 
were  picnics  and  excursions  in  which  all  could 
join.  They  explored  the  surrounding  coun- 
try, finding  the  most  attractive  locality  under 
Miss  Sperry's  guidance.  She  had  arranged 
some  stones  on  a  shelf,  and  these  attracted 
the  attention  of  Mason,  who  asked  where  she 
had  obtained  them. 

"  I  found  them  on  one  of  the  beams  in  the 
open  chamber,  and  I  presume  my  brother  put 
them  there  more  than  thirty  years  ago,"  she 
replied.  "  He  used  to  bring  home  stones 
from  the  ledge  and  carry  them  up-stairs  ;  but 


300         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

I  had  forgotten  all  about  it,  until  last  spring, 
when  I  was  cleaning  house,  I  found  these." 

"  They  are  splendid  quartz  crystals  ;  some 
of  the  finest  I  ever  saw,"  responded  Mason. 
"Where  is  the  ledge?" 

"  On  the  side  of  the  hill,  near  the  top. 
We  used  to  see  it  from  the  kitchen-door ;  but 
the  trees  have  grown  up  so  we  can't  see  it 
now." 

Miss  Austen  remembered  visiting  this 
ledge  with  her  brother ;  and  now,  after  many 
years,  she  visited  it  again  to  find  pockets  of 
glittering  crystals  and  masses  of  drusy  quartz 
which  would  increase  the  value  of  the  choic- 
est cabinet. 

"  This  is  the  best  place  I  ever  saw  yet," 
exclaimed  Mason  Stuart,  bending  to  his  task 
of  wielding  a  heavy  sledge-hammer.  "It 
rings  hollow  every  time  I  strike  on  the 
ledge,  and  if  I  can  break  through  this 
stone  crust,  you  will  see  a  sight  to  gladden 
your  eyes." 

"I  have  found  some  splendid  crystals 
under  the  rock,  right  here  in  the  dirt,"  now 


BORN    TO   BE    A   LEADER.  301 

shouted  Sadie  Fielding,  and  all  hastened  to 
her  side. 

Sure  enough,  there  they  were,  and  by 
looking  carefully,  other  crystals  could  be  seen 
adhering  to  the  overhanging  rock.  There 
had  been  a  pocket  there  once,  and  the  lower 
part  having  crumbled,  the  crystals  had  dropped 
out  from  the  stone. 

"  Dick  and  I  may  be  able  to  break  off  this 
thin  part  of  the  ledge  where  it  is  so  much 
worn,"  said  Clarke  Stuart. 

"  You  will  need  my  help,"  responded  Ma- 
son. "You  never  learned  to  strike  heavy 
blows." 

"  I  have  learned  some  things  of  which  I 
was  once  ignorant,"  replied  the  elder  brother 
good-naturedly,  as  he  brought  down  his  ham- 
mer with  a  will. 

"  I  give  it  up.  You  can  strike  harder  than 
I  can,  and  you  are  a  great  deal  better  than  you 
used  to  be,  any  way.  There  it  comes ;  and 
isn't  there  a  '  sight  to  behold  ?  '  as  Aunt  Com- 
fort says.  I  tell  you,  when  I  grow  up  I 
mean  to  be  a  geologist,  and  study  up  how 


302         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE'. 

such  things  grow.  I  can  walk  over  here,  and 
perhaps  some  time  I  can  walk  over  the  Rocky 
Mountains." 

Only  Mason  could  have  said  this,  and  for 
the  remainder  of  his  vacation  the  ledge  was 
a  favorite  resort.  Coming  so  frequently,  too, 
he  felt  quite  at  home  in  Miss  Sperry's  house, 
where  he  always  stopped  for  a  friendly  chat. 
She  had  several  broods  of  chickens,  which  he 
compared  with  those  of  his  friend,  Rufus 
Brown ;  telling  her  of  this  friend's  success  in 
raising  poultry,  and  how  it  had  been  accom- 
plished. 

"  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  Esther ;  I  learn  a  good 
deal  from  that  boy's  talk,"  she  said,  one  Sat- 
urday evening,  as  they  were  conversing  in 
regard  to  the  events  of  the  week.  "He 
knows  the  most  of  all  kinds  of  things  of  any 
boy  I  ever  saw ;  and  he  tells  it,  too,  in  such 
a  plain  way,  there  can't  anybody  help  under- 
stand it.  He'll  get  a  living  anywhere,  but 
he's  dreadfully  afraid  he  won't  pay  for  all  he 
has.  He  likes  my  gingerbread,  but  he  always 
brings  something  in  his  lunch-basket  to  leave 


BORN    TO    BE    A    LEADER.  303 

in  place  of  it ;  and  when  Robert  Bumstead 
comes  with  him,  they  have  a  double  portion. 
They  hunted  up  two  stray  hens'-nests  for  me 
this  week,  and  they  always  manage  to  give 
me  a  lift  someway  every  time  they  come. 
They  are  two  nice  boys  as  you'll  find  any- 
where, though  Mason  Stuart  always  takes 
the  lead.  He  was  born  to  be  a  leader  and 
helper.  To  my  mind,  there  are  a  good  many 
such  in  Austenville,  and  some  of  them  only 
waiting  for  a  chance  to  get  away.  There  is 
Harold  Dorsey." 

"  He  went  to-day.  He  has  gone  to  his  old 
home  to  stay  a  week  or  two.  He  came  to  see 
Miss  Greenleaf  and  me  last  evening,  and  we 
talked  about  going  to  school." 

"  I  expect  it,  Esther,  and  I  shall  be  glad  to 
have  you  go.  You  can  save  up  some  of  your 
wages ;  and  by  the  time  you  get  well  started 
I  can  help  you  a  little.  The  land  is  doing 
better  than  I  expected,  and  part  of  what  is 
raised  belongs  to  you  any  way.  I  didn't  ex- 
pect to  have  any  poultry  to  sell,  but  I  shall 
have  considerable,  and  a  good  many  eggs. 


304        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

There's  a  good  market  for  them,  too,  right 
here  at  home.  If  I  was  ever  glad  of  any- 
thing, it  is  that  I  set  up  farming,  and  Miss 
Austen  says  she  has  no  doubt  it  was  just  the 
best  thing  I  could  do." 

"Cousin  Jane,  you  have  talked  so  fast  that 
I  had  no  chance  to  speak ;  but  for  all  that,  I 
have  something  to  say  and  must  be  heard," 
remarked  Esther. 

"  Say  on,  cousin.  I  like  to  hear  the  sound 
of  your  voice.  I  miss  it  a  good  deal  when 
you  are  gone." 

"  Well,  then,  I  intend  to  go  to  school  next 
spring.  I  presume  I  shall  go  only  one  term, 
and  then,  perhaps,  teach  through  the  sum- 
mer. I  shall  earn  enough  for  myself  without 
taking  anything  from  you.  You  have  done 
enough  for  me  already." 

"We  won't  quarrel  about  it,  Esther,  but 
if  we  can  help  each  other,  I  guess  we  better 
do  it.  It  is  better  to  eat  half  a  loaf,  with 
somebody  you  love  eating  the  other  half, 
than  it  is  to  eat  a  whole  loaf  alone.  That  is 
what  I  thought  when  I  took  you  to  live  with 
me,  and  I  hain't  changed  my  mind  since." 


A   VTNE-OLAD  COTTAGE. 

Harold  Dorsey,  p.  305. 


A   VINE  CLAD   COTTAGE.  305 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

A   VINE  CLAD    COTTAGE. 

THERE  were  vines  all  around  the  house, 
trained  over  the  narrow  windows,  and 
drooping  from  the  low  eaves.  Wild-wood 
vines,  too ;  some  of  them  transplanted  from 
miles  away,  yet  all  growing  as  luxuriantly  as 
if  they  had  first  taken  root  there.  The  little 
porch,  with  its  rough  pillars,  seemed  but  a 
mass  of  foliage,  set  here  and  there  with  starry 
blossoms. 

Such  a  transformation  !  Xo  marvel  that 
Harold  Dorsey  gazed  at  the  rustic  picture 
before  him,  half  ready  to  believe  that  he  had 
mistaken  the  locality.  But  the  trees  stood  the 
same  as  they  had  stood  when  he  was  a  child  ; 
and  this  was  his  old  home,  beautified  and 
adorned,  —  a  fitting  type  of  his  new  life. 

Children,  peering  through  the  leafy  screen, 

ran  to  tell  their  mother  that  a  stranger  was 
20 


306         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

standing  in  front  of  the  house,  and  she  has- 
tened to  see  who  this  stranger  might  be. 

"  Harold  Dorsey  !  "  she  exclaimed,  and  he 
responded  to  his  name. 

"  I  hardly  recognized  the  house,"  he  said 
after  the  usual  greetings.  "  You  must  have 
been  very  diligent,  to  make  such  an  improve- 
ment in  so  short  a  time." 

"My  husband  has  done  most  of  it,"  she 
answered,  with  a  bright  smile.  "  He  is  that 
happy,  he  never  seems  tired,  and  you  wouldn't 
believe  he  could  do  the  half  that  he  does. 
He  was  saying  this  morning  it  was  near 
time  for  you  to  come.  He  has  the  rent  wait- 
ing for  you ;  and  we  have  a  cow,  and  a  pig, 
and  chickens  ;  more  than  we  ever  had  before, 
and  more  than  I  ever  thought  of  having. 
But  I'm  telling  you  as  though  you  cared 
to  know,"  added  the  woman,  blushing  at  her 
own  boldness. 

"  I  do  care  to  know,"  was  replied.  "  I  re- 
joice in  your  good  fortune.  I  expected  you 
would  have  more  than  ever  before.  I  hope 
you  have  found  the  house  comfortable." 


A    VINE  CLAD    COTTAGE.  307 

"  It  has  been  like  a  palace  for  such  as  us  ; 
and  my  husband  has  done  a  bit  here  and  a  bit 
there  to  make  it  more  convenient.  He  is  al- 
ways working  at  something.  Perhaps  you'd 
come  in  and  see  for  yourself." 

'Harold  Dorsey  was  very  glad  to  do  so, 
examining  the  house  from  garret  to  cellar, 
complimenting  the  skill  and  taste  which  had 
so  much  improved  it.  He  would  not  have 
thought  it  possible  to  effect  so  much  with  the 
means  at  command. 

"AVill  you  take  supper  with  us?"  asked 
Mrs.  Beloy,  as  he  turned  to  go.  "  Then  you 
will  be  sure  to  see  Jaques,  and  he  will  be 
right  glad  to  see  you  at  our  table." 

The  invitation  was  accepted,  and  Harold 
went  into  the  woods,  promising  to  be  back  in 
time  for  the  evening  meal.  He  wished  to 
mark  some  trees  for  cutting.  They  could  be 
sold  for  a  good  price,  and  having  obtained 
the  control  of  his  property,  he  proposed  thus 
to  increase  his  available  fund.s.  Mr.  Dorsey 
had  never  allowed  a  tree  to  be  felled ;  but 
they  would  furnish  desirable  lumber,  and 


308         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

with  Mr.  Elliot's  advice  they  were  to  be  cut 
down.  It  was  partly  to  attend  to  this  matter 
of  business  that  Harold  Dorsey  had  come, 
and  partly  to  obtain  the  rest  and  change  of 
thought  he  could  find  nowhere  else.  He 
was  still  intent  upon  his  work  of  selection, 
when  he  heard  Jaques  Beloy's  peculiar  whistle, 
clear  and  sweet  as  the  call  of  a  bird  to  its  mate. 

"  Harold  Dorsey,  my  friend  that  was  and 
is,  you  are  welcome  as  sunshine  in  June," 
cried  the  man  in  joyous  surprise,  as  he  recog- 
nized his  landlord.  "  I  have  the  rent  waiting 
for  you." 

"I  think  you  have  paid  the  rent  in  im- 
provements," answered  Harold. 

"Not  a  bit  of  it.  The  improvements,  as 
you  call  them,  were  at  my  own  liking,  and 
costing  not  much  but  a  little  time.  I  didn't 
know  it  was  in  me  to  handy  up  things  in  the 
way  I  have,  but  I  did  it  all  at  odd  jobs.  Did 
you  mind  the  vines  ?  " 

"  Certainly  I  did,  and  admired  them  too. 
They  look  as  though  they  had  always  been 
growing  just  where  they  are." 


A    VINE  CLAD   COTTAGE.  309 

WI  took  them  up  careful,  so  they  didn't 
know  it ;  and  I  set  them  down  careful,  so  they 
kept  on  growing.  I  thought  of  you  when  I 
was  doing  it,  and  it's  a  nice  place  now  for  a 
poor  fellow  like  me." 

"You  will  not  always  be  poor,  Mr.  Beloy." 

"  I'll  never  be  rich,  Mr.  Dorsey.  I'm  not 
looking  or  caring  for  it,  but  I'm  the  happiest 
man  in  the  country,  and  my  wife  is  the  hap- 
piest woman." 

"  It  is  worth  all  my  journey  to  know 
that." 

"  Then  you  are  paid.  You'll  be  staying  to 
the  meeting  Sunday.  It's  in  the  schoolhou.se 
yet,  except  when  the  days  are  over-fine,  and 
the  house  is  over-full ;  then  we  just  turn 
out  of  doors,  with  the  sky  for  a  roof." 

"  Have  you  a  minister?" 

"  Only  at  five  o'clock,  and  not  often  then 
through  the  winter.  But  we  have  our  own 
meeting  and  Sunday-school,  and  the  books 
you  sent  us  help  along  wonderful.  They 
travel  a  long  ways  to  be  read,  but  they  come 
back.  Come  to  the  house  with  me  and  have 


310         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

supper.  It  won't  be  grand,  but  there'll  be 
enough  and  a  welcome  with  it." 

If  it  was  not  grand,  it  was  sufficiently 
good,  and  far  better  than  the  guest  had  been 
accustomed  to  eat  in  this  house.  The  rent 
was  paid.  Jaques  Beloy  would  have  it  so ; 
gaining  more  in  self-respect  than  he  lost  in 
money. 

After  supper,  Harold  Dorsey  walked  over 
to  Mr.  Andrews',  where  he  engaged  board  for 
a  week ;  a  week  crowded  full  of  work,  pleas- 
ure, and  duty.  He  met  the  gentleman  who 
wished  to  purchase  his  timber,  and  arranged 
a  satisfactory  bargain.  He  attended  the 
schoolhouse  meeting  and  taught  in  the  Sun- 
day school.  He  spent  a  day  with  Ben  An- 
drews along  the  banks  of  a  stream  famous  for 
trout ;  but  more  time  was  devoted  to  talking 
than  to  angling,  and  when  they  separated  they 
felt  that  they  had  been  mutually  benefited. 

The  vacation  passed  quickly  to  all  save 
Robert  Bumstead,  who  in  his  impatience 
wished,  each  morning,  that  the  day  was  at  an 
end.  He  was  sorry  to  leave  those  who  had 


A    VINE    CLAD    COTTAGE.  311 

been  to  him  such  loving  parents,  but  he  was 
going  with  Harold,  and  Harold  was  his  es- 
pecial admiration ;  none  the  less  so  when 
seen  with  a  crowd  of  students  Avho  might 
have  been  considered  his  superiors  in  many 
things. 

Harold  Dorsey  stood  the  peer  of  any  one 
of  his  associates,  allowing  no  lesson  to  pass 
which  he  did  not  fully  comprehend.  His  ca- 
pabilities as  a  worker  gave  him  great  advan- 
tage in  earning  money,  so  that  his  expenses 
were  little  more  than  he  could  pay  from 
month  to  month  without  drawing  upon  his 
reserved  fund.  He  commanded  respect 
where  another,  doing  the  same  work  and 
living  in  the  same  frugal  manner,  would 
have  been  ridiculed.  As  time  went  on,  his 
popularity  increased,  although  he  made  it 
his  first  object  to  honor  the  religion  he  pro- 
fessed. 

"  I  was  surprised  to  see  so  many  in  the 
prayer  meeting  last  evening,"  said  Dick 
Fielding.  "  I  knew  you  had  invited  them, 
or  they  would  not  be  there." 


312     HAROLD  DORSE Y'S  FORTUNE. 

"  I  was  surprised  that  they  did  not  come 
without  an  invitation,"  replied  Harold.  "Why 
should  they  not  come  ?  " 

"  Many  young  men  would  consider  it  hardly 
manly  to  attend  a  prayer  meeting.  They 
think  praying  well  enough  for  old  people  and 
women,  but  for  young  men  it  shows  a  lack 
of  spirit." 

"  Not  manly  !  Praying  not  manly  !  God 
is  God,  and  we  are  dependent  upon  Him. 
He  is  so  far  above  us  that  we  cannot  compare 
ourselves  with  Him,  any  more  than  we  can 
live  without  His  preserving  care.  How  can 
any  one  help  loving  Him  and  praying  to 
Him?  I  couldn't  help  it  any  more  than 
I  could  help  the  sun  shining." 

"  But,  Harold,  you  are  different  from  most 
young  men.  You  were  brought  up  differ- 
ently, and  your  knowledge  of  God  came  to 
you  as  a  new  revelation." 

"It  did  come  to  me  so,  and  you  never  can 
know  how  happy  it  made  me.  Perhaps  if  I 
had  father  and  mother,  brothers  and  sisters, 
to  love  me,  I  shouldn't  have  cared  so  much ; 


A   VINE    CLAD    COTTAGE.  313 

but  it  seems  as  though  I  should  have  cared 
more.  I  should  have  more  for  which  to  be 
thankful.  Not  that  I  have  no  cause  for 
gratitude,  Dick,  for  I  am  fast  learning  that  if 
I  have  lost  much  from  my  life,  I  have  also 
gained  much.  It  was  better  for  me  to  be 
brought  up  as  I  was,  than  to  be  allowed  to 
follow  my  own  impulses  unrestrained.  There 
is  a  good  deal  of  force  pent  up  in  me  which 
might  have  run  riot,  had  I  been  controlled 
with  a  less  firm  hand." 

"  There  can  be  no  very  evil  propensities 
pent  up  in  you,  Harold." 

"I  don't  know  what  they  might  have 
proved  to  be  under  different  training.  Mr. 
Dorsey  taught  me  to  control  myself;  and 
now,  as  I  look  back,  I  think  he  must  have 
practised  the  greatest  self-control  himself. 
He  had  not  always  lived  shut  out  from  the 
world,  and  I  think  he  had  my  best  interest  at 
heart,  except  in  denying  me  the  privilege  of 
reading  the  Bible.  "With  so  little  as  I  had 
to  read,  if  the  Bible  had  been  open  to  me,  I 
should  have  committed  a  large  part  of  it  to 
memory." 


314  HAKOLD    DORSE Y'S    FORTUNE. 

"  I  have  no  doubt  of  it,  and  it  would  have 
done  much  towards  your  education." 

"  It  would,  and  it  would  have  made  me  so 
happy.  But  it  is  mine  now,  and  I  would  not 
exchange  it  for  kingdoms." 

"  You  ought  to  be  a  preacher,  Harold. 
You  love  the  Bible  so  well,  you  might  inspire 
others  with  the  same  love." 

"I  shall  not  be  a  clergyman,  but  I  shall 
always  preach  the  gospel.  The  talks  in  our 
Austenville  meetings  seem  to  me  better  than 
any  preaching.  They  have  done  me  more 
good  than  all  the  sermons  I  ever  heard." 

"  Those  meetings  are  exceptional.  There 
are  no  others  like  them." 

"There  might  be  if  professing  Christians 
would  do  their  duty.  I  know  there  is  not 
another  Miss  Austen,  or  Mr.  Stuart,  or  Mr. 
Elliot ;  but  if  people  have  hearts  full  of  love 
to  God,  and  would  speak  it  out,  they  would 
do  a  world  of  good." 

"  And  if  people  would  live  out  their 
religion,  as  Aunt  Margaret  and  Cousin 
Edward  do,  others  would  be  attracted.  Aus- 


A    VINE    CLAD    COTTAGE.  315 

tenville,  as  it  now  is,  was  founded  upon 
religion." 

"  Everybody  -vvho  knows  anything  about  it 
knows  that.  There  is  no  deception  nor  cheat- 
ing among  those  who  manage  the  business 
there ;  and  honest  employers  make  honest 
workmen." 

"  That  is  true,  and  besides,  everybody  in 
Austenville  seems  in  the  right  place.  No- 
body else  would  do  as  well  as  Mr.  Bumstead 
in  his  place,  and  Mr.  Elliot  is  the  very  man 
needed  where  he  is.  Aunt  Margaret  says 
that,  and  there  are  not  many  women  who 
could  have  done  what  she  has.  If  she  had 
not  gone  there,  I  should  not  be  here  now." 

"Neither  should  I.  When  I  heard  Mr. 
Elliot  tell  Mr.  Dorsey  that  a  woman  was 
starting  up  a  mill,  and  he  was  going  to  ask 
her  for  work,  I  did  not  think  I  should  ever 
see  the  mill,  although  I  wondered  what  it 
was  like.  I  remember  that  Mr.  Elliot  said  if 
he  could  redeem  his  past  life  anywhere,  he 
could  do  it  there.  I  did  not  understand  that 
exactly,  but  I  knew  he  had  done  what  he  was 


316         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

sorry  for.  Your  Uncle  William  had  been  his 
friend,  and  the  place  had  attractions  for  him 
on  that  account.  He  could  not  be  more 
interested  in  it  now,  if  the  place  was  all  his 
own,  and  Mr.  Gray  seconds  his  efforts." 

"  There  will  be  a  productive  farm  in  a  few 
years." 

"It  is  productive  now,  as  far  as  it  has  been 
cultivated,  but  a  few  years  will  make  a  great 
improvement  in  it.  Other  farms,  too,  in 
the  vicinity  will  improve,  because  there  is  a 
better  market  for  their  crops.  I  think  of  Mr. 
Peavey  with  his  little  farm,  and  wish  I  was 
where  I  could  lend  him  a  helping  hand.  I 
know  my  letters  do  them  good ;  but  they  are 
not  very  substantial  help  when  there  is  hard 
work  to  be  done." 

The  speaker  might  have  thought  otherwise, 
had  he  known  how  many  times  his  letters 
were  read,  so  that  one  was  not  laid  away  in 
the  drawer  until  another  was  received.  A 
letter  from  Harold  was  almost  like  having 
Harold  himself  with  them ;  yet  when  he  de- 
cided to  remain  away  through  the  entire 


A   VINE    CLAD    COTTAGE.  317 

school  year,  their  disappointment  was  hard 
to  bear. 

They  were,  however,  less  lonely  than  they 
feared.  They  had  many  friends  who  were 
mindful  of  their  welfare,  while  they  were 
interested  in  the  welfare  of  many  others. 
Mr.  Peavey  wrote  to  Harold  that  the}-  had 
their  tea-set  out  oftener  than  ever  before 
since  they  kept  house. 

One  occasion,  in  which  this  and  every 
other  available  piece  of  crockery  was  pressed 
into  service,  is  worthy  of  special  notice.  A 
large  part}-,  self-  invited,  appeared  at  their 
door,  bringing  a  bountiful  entertainment,  and 
asking  for  admission. 

"  I'm  glad  to  see  you,  every  one,  but  I 
don't  know  where  you'll  all  find  a  place  in  our 
little  house,"  said  the  dear  old  lady,  quite 
taken  by  surprise.  "I've  been  lonesomer 
than  common  to-day,  and  it's  a  pity  I  didn't 
know  you  were  coming,  so  I  could  be  think- 
ing about  it." 

A  fire  was  lighted  in  the  "east  room,''  and 
the  company  was  all  the  merrier  because  of 


318         HAEOLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

narrow  spaces.  At  an  early  hour  the  table 
was  spread  and  refreshments  were  placed 
upon  it,  when  Mr.  Peavey  asked  a  blessing, 
and  thanked  the  Giver  of  all  good  for  unex- 
pected mercies. 

Everything  was  provided  by  the  guests, 
even  to  sugar  and  milk  for  tea  and  coffee,  of 
which  there  was  an  abundant  supply.  More 
was  left  than  was  eaten,  and  the  memory  of 
this  visit  brightened  all  the  winter. 

If  Harold  had  been  at  home  there  would 
have  been  nothing  to  desire,  but  this  home 
felt  his  influence  even  when  far  away. 


A   DISAPPOINTED    OLD   MAN.  319 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

A   DISAPPOINTED    OLD   MAN. 

AN  old  man  sat  alone  in  a  handsomely 
furnished  room.  Upon  the  table  be- 
fore him  was  a  package  of  papers  which  he 
was  examining,  while  glancing  now  and  then 
at  the  door,  as  if  fearful  of  being  inter- 
rupted. 

He  was  not  disturbed,  and  at  length  he 
returned  the  papers  to  a  drawer  which  locked 
with  a  spring,  and  the  key  of  which  he  al- 
ways carried  with  him. 

Later,  a  visitor  was  announced,  and  the 
lawyer  who  had  transacted  his  business  for 
many  years  was  admitted  to  his  presence. 

"  Sit  down,"  he  said  feebly.  "  I  sent  for 
you  to  hear  what  is  to  be  done  with  that 
scapegrace  grandson  of  mine.  Is  there  a 
chance  of  saving  me  from  the  disgrace  of  his 
imprisonment?" 


320    HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"  I  think  there  is,  sir.  The  parties  con- 
cerned are  willing  to  compromise  the  mat- 
ter." 

"  For  how  much  ?  Of  course  they  want 
money." 

"Yes,  sir.  They  demand  a  larger  sum 
than  I  hoped  would  satisfy  them  ;  but  as  they 
have  the  matter  in  their  own  hands,  we  must 
accede  to  their  terms." 

"  Don't  mention  it.  I  will  give  you  a  check 
for  the  amount,  but  there  is  a  limit  to  my 
forbearance.  I  have  indulged  that  boy  until 
he  thinks  he  can  count  on  me  to  help  him  out 
of  any  kind  of  trouble.  He  is  twenty-two 
years  old,  and  he  has  never  done  a  fair  day's 
work  in  his  life.  It  is  hard  for  a  man  at  my 
age  not  to  have  one  in  his  family  he  can  de- 
pend upon.  If  my  son  had  lived  to  bring  up 
his  boy,  or  if  my  daughter  had  married  to 
please  me,  I  should  not  be  so  forsaken  now. 
But  it  is  too  late  to  talk  of  that,  and  I  am 
afraid  it  is  too  late  to  expect  any  improve- 
ment in  Morris." 

rt  This  may  be  a  lesson  to  him,  Mr.  Bryant. 


A   DISAPPOINTED    OLD    MAN.  321 

I  certainly  hope  it  will.  If  you  could  per- 
suade him  to  give  up  the  use  of  wine,  even 
in  the  smallest  quantities,  he  would  not  be  so 
reckless.  That  is  his  greatest  fault." 

"  About  four  years  ago,  you  told  me  that 
the  man  Dorsey  was  dead,"  remarked  Mr. 
Bryant,  without  replying  to  his  companion. 

"Yes,  sir,  he  died  some  months  before." 

"  And  the  boy  under  his  care  ?  " 

"  Has  claimed  the  property  held  in  trust  for 
him,  and  upon  the  recommendation  of  those 
best  acquainted  with  him,  the  property  was 
given  into  his  hands  without  guardianship." 

"  He  is  only  twenty  years  old." 

"  Yes,  sir ;  but  he  was  represented  to  be 
fully  capable  of  managing  his  own  business, 
and  a  point  was  made  of  the  injustice  from 
which  he  had  suffered." 

"Injustice!  What  rights  had  he,  —  the 
son  of  a  gambler  and  drunkard,  who  thought 
to  gain  my  money  by  marrying  my  daughter  ! 
The  boy  ought  to  be  thankful  that  he  was  not 
left  to  starve  with  his  miserable  father.  I 
hope  there  is  no  doubt  of  his  father's  death." 
21 


322          HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"  No  doubt  at  till,  sir.  His  death  was  fully 
substantiated." 

"Well,  I  gave  the  boy  a  chance  to  live, 
and  a  few  acres  of  land.  That  was  more 
than  he  had  any  right  to  claim  from  me. 
Who  recommended  him  to  the  authorities  ?  " 

"  Influential  friends." 

"  He  will  be  likely  to  need  all  the  friends 
he  has.  You  are  sure  he  knows  nothing  of 
his  parentage  ?  " 

"I  am  sure  that  the  man  Dorsey  did  not 
tell  him,  and  I  know  of  no  one  else  who 
could  tell  him." 

"I  intended  to  guard  against  that.  The 
man  Dorsey  had  too  much  at  stake  to  be- 
tray his  trust." 

"Yes,  sir.  Is  there  any  further  business 
to  transact  this  morning  ?  "  asked  the  lawyer 
after  a  silence  in  which  his  companion  seemed 
to  have  forgotten  his  presence. 

"Not  any,  only  be  sure  that  money  is  paid 
in  season,  and  try  and  impress  upon  my 
grandson  that  such  an  irregularity  must  not 
happen  again." 


A    DISAPPOINTED    OLD   MAX.  323 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  will  attend  to  it." 

Mr.  Carter  rose  to  go,  when  the  old  man 
looked  up,  saying  earnestly  : 

"  You  don't  think  I  was  too  hard  on  the 
man  Dorsey,  do  you  ?  " 

"You  did  as  you  thought  best,  Mr.  Bry- 
ant," was  the  evasive  reply.  "He  was  found 
guilty  of  a  crime,  and  criminals  are  seldom 
allowed  to  choose  their  punishment." 

"  He  might  have  been  sent  to  prison." 

"  Yes,  sir,  and  that  would  have  been  worse 
than  living  in  seclusion." 

"I  never  knew  that  he  complained." 

"  Never,  Mr.  Bryant,  never.  He  was  too 
proud  a  man  for  that.  Too  just  a  man,  too. 
He  was  terribly  tempted,  and  he  fell,  but  he 
was  better  than  many  a  man  who  walks  our 
streets,  honored  and  respected." 

"You  may  be  right,  Mr.  Carter;  but  it  is 
all  over  now,  and  if  I  made  a  mistake,  it  is 
too  late  to  rectify  it." 

"Yes,  sir." 

rf  That  boy  hadn't  any  claim  on  me,  but  I 
provided  for  him,  and  now  he  must  provide 


324        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

for  himself.  I  never  want  to  hear  his  name. 
Do  you  know  where  he  is,  Mr.  Carter?" 

"  I  think  he  is  in  school,  fitting  for  col- 
lege." 

"Well,  I  hope  he  will  prosper,  'though  it  is 
not  likely  I  shall  ever  know  any  more  about 
him.  I  supposed  he  would  be  like  his 
father." 

"  His  father  was  naturally  a  very  smart 
man." 

"  He  was  an  unprincipled  wretch." 

"  Yes,  sir." 

So  the  interview  closed,  and  the  old  man 
was  left  sitting  by  the  table,  glad  to  be  alone, 
and  yet  shrinking  from  the  companionship  of 
his  own  thoughts. 

He  had  one  grandson,  as  he  was  often 
heard  to  say ;  a  young  man,  not  wanting  in 
ability,  yet  as  devoid  of  right  principle  as 
those  whom  he  so  severely  condemned.  This 
grandson  had  large  expectations  of  wealth, 
and  therefore  felt  no  necessity  for  applying 
himself  to  business.  His  mother  and  sisters 
had  no  power  to  restrain  him,  while  until 


A   DISAPPOINTED   OLD   MAN.  325 

recently  his  grandfather  had  indulged  him  in 
every  whim.  This  boy  was  the  idol  of  his 
heart,  but  the  idol  was  of  clay,  and  it  had 
crumbled  at  his  feet. 

He  had  been  disappointed  in  his  family ; 
but  he  could  draw  consolation  from  the  fact 
that  he  bad  not  been  disappointed  in  his  plans 
for  acquiring  riches.  If  there  had  been  irregu- 
larities in  his  transactions,  they  were  carefully 
concealed.  He  had  not  hesitated  even  to 
shield  himself  at  the  expense  of  better  men. 
A  shrewd  manager,  he  had  deceived  many ; 
but  the  time  had  come  when  he  could  no 
longer  deceive  himself. 

He  was  old  and  infirm,  and  he  must  soon 
die.  Possibly  he  might  live  ten  years,  yet 
these  would  quickly  pass ;  while  probably  his 
mortal  existence  would  be  ended  long  before 
that  time.  His  will  confronted  a  stronger 
will,  and  the  bounds  of  his  life  were  tip- 
pointed  by  one  in  whom  is  no  variableness 
or  shadow  of  turning. 

If  his  son  had  lived  !  But  his  son  had  not 
been  all  that  he  desired.  His  wealth  was  not 


326         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

half  to  him  he  had  dreamed  it  would  be. 
He  opened  again  the  drawer,  and  took  from 
it  the  same  package  he  had  been  examining 
before  his  lawyer  came  in. 

"It  was  not  much  after  all,"  he  murmured. 
"Not  much  to  give  a  boy  to  start  in  the 
world.  Twenty  acres  of  wild  land,  that  cost 
me  less  than  Morris  sometimes  spends  in  a 
month.  But  he  had  no  claim  on  me.  It  was 
all  a  free  gift  on  my  part." 

A  vision  of  the  boy's  mother  rose  before 
him,  handsome,  haughty,  and  self-willed, — 
one  whose  whole  nature  might  have  been 
softened  and  sweetened  by  Christian  training, 
but  who  had  grown  up  in  an  atmosphere  of 
worldlincss,  to  yield  to  the  fascination  of  a 
grand  passion. 

It  did  not  matter  to  her  how  she  lived,  if  it 
was  only  with  the  man  she  loved ;  but  she 
found  to  her  cost  that  it  mattered  much  to 
him  whether  she  brought  him  a  fortune.  Too 
proud  to  humble  herself  before  the  father 
who  had  commanded  her  never  to  speak  his 
name,  she  struggled  on  in  the  deepest  pov- 


A    DISAPPOINTED    OLD    MAN.  327 

erty,  neglected  and  abused  by  him  who  had 
vowed  to  cherish  and  protect  her,  until  death 
came  to  her  release.  She  left  one  child,  a 
boy  ;  and  with  the  cool  audacity  which  char- 
acterized him,  the  father  of  this  child  in- 
formed Mr.  Bryant  where  the  boy  could  be 
found,  and  resigned  all  claim  which  the  law- 
might  give  him  to  "  such  an  incumbranee." 

"You  can  provide  for  him,  or  he  can  be 
sent  to  the  poor-house.  It  does  not  matter 
to  me  which,"  wrote  the  heartless  man. 

Circumstances  favored  an  arrangement  by 
Avhich  the  care  of  the  boy  could  be  assured 
without  danger  that  he  would  prove  trouble- 
some. His  grandfather  refused  to  see  him, 
and  in  the  contract  with  his  guardian  stipu- 
lated that  he  should  be  called  Harold  Dorsey. 
Mr.  Bryant  had  hoped  he  would  die  ;  but  he 
lived,  strong  and  sturdy. 

Fitting  for  college,  and  managing  his 
little  property  !  Recommended  by  influential 
friends  as  capable  ! 

The  papers  were  returned  to  their  place  of 
concealment,  and  the  wrinkled  hands  were 


328        HAROLD  DORSE-Y'S  FORTUNE. 

clasped  tightly,  as  if  thus  unpleasant  memo- 
ries could  be  crushed  out. 

But  these  memories,  whatever  they  might 
be,  were  for  the  moment  set  aside  by  the 
entrance  of  a  young  man,  who  said  abruptly  : 

"  Grandfather,  I  am  sorry  I  have  made  so 
much  trouble  for  you  and  Mr.  Carter.  I 
don't  know  how  I  could  have  forgotten  my- 
self so  far ;  but  I  was  a  little  under  the  influ- 
ence of  wine,  and  things  looked  differently 
to  me  from  what  they  did  the  next  morning. 
Thank  you  for  helping  me  out  of  the  scrape." 

"It  might  have  been  a  serious  matter  for 
you,"  responded  the  grandfather  coldly. 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  know  it  might.  I  was  terri- 
bly cut  up  about  it,  but  I  was  sure  you  would 
not  let  your  grandson  suffer  when-  you  could 
prevent  it.  So  I  put  the  best  face  I  could  on 
it,  and  trusted  to  your  kindness." 

"It  would  have  served  you  right  if  you 
had  been  left  to  suffer  the  consequences  of 
your  wickedness.  Yes,  Morris,  it  was  wick- 
edness, or  crime,  just  which  you  please  to 
call  it." 


A    DISAPPOINTED    OLD    MAX.  329 

"  Crime  is  an  ugly  word,  grandfather." 

w  And  an  ugly  fact.  But  you  committed  a 
crime,  and  I  have  saved  you  from  the  pun- 
ishment you  deserve." 

"  I  should  not  allow  any  one  else  to  say 
that." 

"Mr.  Carter  said  that." 

"Yes,  sir  ;  but  lawyers  are  expected  to  say 
disagreeable  things.  It  is  their  privilege." 

"  And  it  is  my  privilege  to  tell  you  that  I 
am  thoroughly  displeased  with  you.  Unless 
you  do  better  than  you  have  been  doing  for 
the  last  year,  I  will  cut  you  off  with  a  shil- 
ling." 

Morris  Bryant  looked  at  his  grandfather  as 
if  doubting  that  he  had  heard  correctly  the 
words  just  spoken,  and  began  to  stammer 
some  excuses  for  what  he  was  pleased  to  term 
his  irregularities. 

"I  am  sorry  I  have  displeased  you,"  he 
said  at  length. 

"You  have  done  worse  than  that.  You 
have  disgraced  me,  disgraced  your  family, 
and  disgraced  yourself.  I  want  you  to  fully 


330         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

understand  that.  How  is  it  about  your  quar- 
ter's allowance?  How  much  have  you  on 
hand?" 

"Not  much,"  replied  the  young  man  with 
evident  reluctance. 

"How  much?  I  want  to  know  the  truth 
about  it.  Tell  me  the  exact  amount." 

"Well,  grandfather,  if  I  must,  I  must;  and 
to  tell  the  plain  truth,  I  have  spent  every 
dollar  of  it.  I  don't  know  how  it  is  that  I 
get  away  with  so  much  money ;  but  before  I 
think  of  such  a  thing,  I  find  it  is  all  gone. 
I  am  very  sorry  about  it.  I  Avish  I  could 
keep  money  in  my  pocket." 

"If  you  were  obliged  to  earn  the  money 
you  put  in  your  pocket,  you  would  be  more 
likely  to  keep  it  there,  and  it  is  quite  time 
you  decided  upon  some  employment.  I 
don't  know  who  would  have  you  in  any  place 
of  trust,  but  you  can  begin  at  the  foot  of  the 
ladder  and  work  your  way  up." 

"  What  could  I  do  ?    I  thought  —  " 

"What  did  you  think?  Tell  the  whole 
story.  There  will  never  be  a  better  oppor- 


A    DISAPPOINTED    OLD    MAX.  331 

tunity,  and  it  is  time  we  understood  each 
other." 

MVell,  grandfather,  I  thought  perhaps  I 
could  help  you  look  after  your  property  —  do 
some  writing  for  you,  and  save  you  from 
some  hard  work." 

"  I  know  better  than  to  trust  my  business 
with  you.  I  have  been  to  blame  for  indulg- 
ing you  as  I  have,  but  you  have  been  ten 
times  us  much  to  blame  for  abusing  my  kind- 
ness, and  presuming  upon  my  money.  I  am 
not  the  richest  man  in  the  country,  Morris. 
It  would  be  possible  to  exhaust  my  wealth  ; 
but  I  have  no  intention  of  allowing  it  to  be 
done .  Are  you  in  debt  ?  " 

Morris  Bryant  had  not  expected  this  ques- 
tion ;  but  when  it  was  repeated,  he  knew  by 
his  grandfather's  appearance  that  it  must  be 
answered,  and  answered  truly.  As  prevari- 
cation would  not  avail  him,  he  acknowledged 
that  he  had  contracted  some  debts  he  could 
not  pay. 

"  Tell  me  the  names  of  your  creditors,  and 
the  amount  that  is  due  them,"  said  Mr.  Bry- 
ant shurply. 


332        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"  Please  excuse  me,  grandfather,"  respond- 
ed the  young  man.  "I  shall  manage  some 
way  to  pay  them,  and  I  am  unwilling  to 
trouble  you." 

"  Trouble  me  !  You  should  have  thought 
of  that  before.  Make  a  clean  breast  of  it, 
and  I  will  set  you  square  on  your  feet  once 
more.  After  that,  you  must  manage  to  live 
on  your  allowance  and  what  you  can  earn." 

"But,  grandfather,  I  think  you  gave  me 
reason  to  expect  that  you  would  pay  my  ex- 
penses for  a  year  in  Europe." 

"  Say  no  more  about  that.  I  have  just 
paid  that  amount  to  keep  you  out  of  prison, 
and  I  shall  waste  no  money  in  sending  you 
abroad.  Tell  me  the  names  of  your  credit- 
ors. If  you  keep  back  one,  or  falsify  the 
amount  you  are  owing,  you  will  pay  it  your- 
self. I  mean  what  I  say,"  continued  Mr. 
Bryant ;  and  reluctantly  the  young  man 
copied  a  formidable  list  of  names  from  his 
memorandum  book. 

"Why,  grandfather,  I  wouldn't  have  be- 
lieved it  was  half  so  much,"  he  exclaimed. 


A   DISAPPOINTED   OLD  MAN.  333 

"  I  don't  wonder  you  scold  me.  I  deserve  to 
live  on  bread  and  water  until  I  can  do  better, 
and  I  had  as  soon  live  so  as  any  way,  if  you 
are  going  to  throw  ine  over." 

"  As  the  law  goes,  you  deserve  bread  and 
water ;  but  I  am  going  to  give  you  another 
chance,  and  see  what  you  will  do.  Remem- 
ber, however,  that  this  must  not  occur  again.'' 

Morris  Bryant  went  out  from  that  inter- 
view, serious  and  troubled.  His  debts  were 
to  be  paid,  but  the  money  was  not  intrusted 
to  him.  He  had  received  his  quarterly  allow- 
ance, but  it  would  never  suffice  for  his  ac- 
customed extravagant  expenditure.  He  had 
been  enjoined  to  drink  wine  sparingly ;  yet 
even  in  his  grandfather's  house  he  would  be 
tempted  to  its  use,  while  his  mother  would 
have  considered  herself  wanting  in  courtesy, 
had  she  neglected  to  offer  wine  to  her  guests. 

She  was  terribly  mortified  at  her  son's 
reckless  conduct,  but  the  loss  of  his  grand- 
father's doting  fondness  would  have  seemed 
to  her  a  far  greater  calamity.  She  had  never 
been  a  favorite  with  her  husband's  father, 


334        IIAEOLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

although  she  had  striven  hard  to  please  him. 
Notwithstanding  his  own  scheming  and  plot- 
ting in  business,  he  liked  people  who  were 
frank  and  outspoken,  who  expressed  their 
opinions  fearlessly,  without  calculating  the 
effect. 

When  with  her  father-in-law,  Mrs.  Bryant 
calculated  the  effect  of  every  word,  and  was 
therefore  too  self-conscious  to  be  an  agree- 
able companion. 

Her  son  came  home  that  day  so  out  of 
humor,  that  his  sisters  wished  him  a  thousand 
miles  away;  and  when,  by  appointment,  he 
went  to  Mr.  Carter's  office,  he  was  prepared 
to  assume  the  role  of  a  highly  offended  gen- 
tleman. 

"  Another  bill  has  been  given  to  me  for  col- 
lection," said  the  lawyer.  "It  is  not  large, 
and  I  advise  you  to  pay  it  without  having  it 
submitted  to  your  grandfather." 

The  bill  was  examined,  and  its  amount 
placed  in  Mr.  Carter's  hands,  as  the  young 
man  exclaimed  impatiently : 

" I  hope  that  is  all!" 


A    DISAPPOINTED    OLD    MAX.  335 

"I  hope  it  is,"  was  replied.  "Your  grand- 
father believed  that  you  had  told  him  the 
truth  in  regard  to  your  indebtedness,  and  he 
deserves  better  of  you  than  that  you  should 
deceive  him." 

"  Mr.  Carter,  I  wish  to  ask  you  some  ques- 
tions," remarked  Morris  Bryant,  when  their 
business  had  been  transacted.  "  My  father 
had  a  sister,  who  married  and  died.  Is  her 
husband  living?" 

o 

"He  is  not." 

"  Had  she  any  children  ?  Has  my  grand- 
father any  grandchildren  besides  my  sisters 
and  myself?" 

"  I  have  often  heard  him  say  that  he  has  not." 

"  But,  Mr.  Carter,  you  know  whether  he  is 
mistaken." 

"lie  is  not  likely  to  be  mistaken  about 
such  a  matter  as  that." 

"No,  sir;  but  it  is  possible  that  he  might 
be,  and  I  am  interested  to  know  certainly 
about  it.  It  would  be  awkward  for  us  if  he 
should  die  without  a  will,  and  there  should  be 
other  claimants  to  his  property." 


336         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"If  he  had  other  grandchildren,  they  would 
have  the  same  right  that  you  have,  Morris 
Bryant ;  and  if  you  have  a  spark  of  manli- 
ness in  your  nature,  you  will  stop  speculating 
in  regard  to  the  disposal  of  your  grandfather's 
property,  and  set  to  work  to  provide  for 
yourself." 

"  I  suppose  it  would  be  useless  to  ask  you 
if  my  grandfather  has  made  his  will." 

"  Entirely  so.  I  have  no  more  time  to 
spend  with  you.  I  have  given  you  friendly 
advice  you  will  do  well  to  heed ;  but  your 
grandfather's  business  does  not  concern  you." 

These  words  sent  the  young  man  in  haste 
from  Mr.  Carter's  office,  more  thoroughly 
dissatisfied  with  himself  and  with  the  world 
than  when  he  had  entered  it.  The  remark, 
once  made  in  his  presence,  that  possibly  Mr. 
Bryant  had  another  grandson,  he  did  not  at 
the  time  think  worthy  of  notice ;  but  some- 
thing had  now  prompted  him  to  inquire  of 
Mr.  Carter  concerning  it,  and  the  evasive 
answers  he  had  received  aroused  his  suspi- 
cions. 


THE    FRAGMENTS    OF   A   WILL.  337 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE    FRAGMENTS    OF    A   WILL. 

DEAD  in  his  library.  His  housekeeper, 
a  distant  relative,  found  him  sitting 
there  by  his  table  strown  with  papers,  while 
in  his  right  hand  he  held  another  paper,  from 
which  fragments  had  been  torn  and  scattered 
on  the  floor. 

It  was  late  at  night,  and  she  had  listened 
for  his  footsteps  on  the  stairs,  until,  in  her 
anxiety,  she  ventured  to  rap  upon  the  door 
of  his  room ;  and  when  no  response  was 
made,  she  entered. 

"Asleep?"  she  cried  doubtingly,  but  still 
there  was  no  response,  and  she  knew  that 
her  kinsman  was  sleeping  the  sleep  of  death. 

At  once,  she  sent  for  his  physician  and  his 
lawyer.  She  knew  the  family  secrets  and 
resolved  to  guard  against  possible  interfer- 
ence. 

22 


338  HAROLD   DORSE Y'S    FORTUNE. 

"  He  must  have  been  dead  for  some  time," 
said  the  physician,  who  arrived  first.  "I 
have  expected  he  would  die  suddenly ;  and 
knowing  his  habits,  I  am  not  surprised  that 
he  died  alone.  I  think  we  will  wait  for  Mr. 
Carter  before  removing  him." 

In  the  presence  of  these  witnesses,  the 
lawyer  gathered  up  the  papers,  with  the  frag- 
ments from  the  floor,  and  placed  them  in  a 
desk  which  he  locked  securely ;  after  which 
proper  care  was  taken  of  the  dead  man. 
Mrs.  Bryant  was  notified  of  her  father-in- 
law's  death,  and  preparations  were  made  for 
the  funeral. 

Was  there  a  will  ? 

This  question,  so  often  asked,  was  not 
answered  until  the  last  obsequies  were  over. 

"Several  years  since,  I  drew  up  a  will  for 
Mr.  Bryant,  which  was  duly  signed  and  wit- 
nessed. At  the  moment  of  his  death  he  held 
a  part  of  this  will  in  his  hand.  The  remain- 
der had  been  torn  into  shreds  and  scattered 
on  the  floor.  Evidently,  his  last  conscious 
act  was  the  destruction  of  this  will,  and  the 


THE    FRAGMENTS    OF    A    WILL.  339 

estate  of  our  deceased  friend  will  be  settled 
according  to  the  requirements  of  the  law. 
Having  been  appointed  administrator  of  this 
estate,  I  shall  proceed  with  my  duties  in  that 
capacity." 

This  concise  statement,  made  by  Mr.  Car- 
ter, was  received  with  affected  indifference, 
but  privately,  Mrs.  Bryant  asked  if  there  was 
any  probability  that  her  husband's  sister  had 
left  children. 

"  She  had  one  son,"  was  replied  frankly. 

"Is  he  living?"  inquired  the  woman  with 
manifest  anxiety. 

"  I  think  he  is." 

"  And  will  he  receive  his  mother's  share  of 
her  father's  property?" 

"He  certainly  will,  Mrs.  Bryant." 

"  But  Father  never  acknowledged  him  as  a 
grandson." 

"Not  in  the  way  he  acknowledged  your 
son,  but  in  a  way  which  leaves  no  doubt  of 
the  boy's  identity." 

"  But  we  have  expected  that  Father  would 
will  the  bulk  of  his  property  to  Morris.  He 


340         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

gave  us  reason  to  expect  that   he  would  do 
so." 

"Then  he  must  have  had  a  reason  for 
changing  his  purpose,  and  so  doing  tardy 
justice  to  another." 

"  Who  is  this  other  who  will  take  half  the 
fortune  belonging  to  us  ?  " 

"No*  one  will  take  a  dollar  belonging  to 
your  family,  Mrs.  Bryant.  Justice  will  be 
done,  and  it  will  not  be  best  to  talk  more  of 
this  at  present/' 

Morris  Bryant  was  disappointed  and  angry. 
Sure  that  the  destroyed  will  had  given  him 
the  bulk  of  his  grandfather's  property,  he 
felt  himself  wronged  in  its  destruction. 

"I  never  heard  of  anything  so  outrageous," 
he  said  to  the  housekeeper,  Mrs.  Morey. 

"  The  outrageous  part  of  it  was  in  the  boy 
not  having  his  rights  from  the  beginning," 
she  replied. 

"  Where  has  he  been  all  this  time  ?  " 

"That  I  can't  tell  you.  I  hope  he  has 
been  in  a  good  place.  His  mother  made  a 
mistake  when  she  married  as  she  did,  but 


THE   FRAGMENTS    OF    A    WILL.  341 

that  was  no  reason  why  she  or  her  child 
should  be  hated.  His  father  was  a  villain, 
but  the  boy  was  not  to  blame  for  that,  and  I 
shall  be  glad  to  see  him  have  his  rights." 

"But you  won't  have  anything,  and  Grand- 
father ought  to  have  left  you  a  handsome 
legacy.  Very  likely  he  did  in  that  will  Mr. 
Carter  says  was  destroyed." 

"  Your  grandfather  paid  me  my  wages,  just 
what  I  asked,  and  I  have  no  reason  to  com- 
plain." 

"But  Grandfather  always  called  me  his 
only  grandson.  He  said  I  took  my  father's 
place  with  him,  and  I  never  shall  believe  he 
knew  what  he  was  doing  when  he  tore  up 
his  will.  He  was  not  capable  of  doing 
business." 

"  Capable,  or  not,  he  did  the  business,  and 
it  cannot  be  undone.  I  am  thankful  for  that." 

Morris  Bryant  had  never  been  a  favorite 
with  Mrs.  Morey,  who  wondered  that  his 
grandfather  should  lavish  upon  him  such  fond 
indulgence,  when  every  one  else  could  see 
that  he  was  supremely  selfish. 


342         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

The  fact  that  there  was  another  grandson 
to  share  in  Mr.  Bryant's  property  was  a  gen- 
eral surprise  to  the  community,  and  great  was 
the  curiosity  in  regard  to  one  whose  exist- 
ence had  been  so  long  ignored. 

Mr.  Carter,  who  knew  something  of  him, 
made  further  inquiries,  and  at  the  proper 
time  visited  the  town  where  he  was  at  school. 

A  note  was  dispatched,  summoning  him  to 
the  hotel  to  meet  a  gentleman  on  business. 
Wondering  at  the  summons,  Harold  Dorsey 
met  a  stranger,  who  said  without  ceremony  • 

"  I  am  administrator  of  the  estate  of  your 
grandfather,  lately  deceased." 

"  I  never  heard  that  I  had  a  grandfather," 
replied  the  young  man,  his  fine  face  flushing 
at  the  abrupt  announcement  just  made. 

"  Your  maternal  grandfather  was  Marcus 
Bryant.  Your  mother's  marriage  displeased 
him,  and  he  refused  to  see  her  afterwards. 
When  she  died,  your  father  wrote  to  your 
grandfather  that  he  should  make  no  provision 
for  you,  and  unless  your  mother's  family 
provided  for  your  support,  you  would  be  left 


THE    FRAGMENTS    OF    A    WILL.  343 

to  depend  upon  charity.  Your  grandfather 
took  care  to  prevent  this  dependence  ;  but  he 
did  this  in  his  own  way.  The  last  of  his  life  I 
think  he  felt  that  he  had  treated  you  unjustly. 
He  destroyed  the  will  which  cut  you  off  with 
a  dollar,  and  left  his  estate  to  be  divided 
between  your  uncle's  family  and  yourself." 

Every  word  had  been  spoken  deliberately, 
so  that  the  listener  could  take  in  its  full 
meaning. 

"I  think  I  don't  care  for  the  property," 
said  Harold  Dorsey.  "I  presume  my  grand- 
father wished  me  out  of  existence." 

"  I  presume  he  did,  but  you  must  give  him 
credit  for  doing  you  justice  at  last.  He  was 
sorely  tried." 

"  I  suppose  my  father  was  not  a  good  man." 

"  He  had  unfortunate  habits  ;  but  it  will  do 
no  good  to  talk  of  them.  It  is  useless  to 
condemn  those  who  have  gone  before  us. 
Don't  blame  your  grandfather  too  much." 

"  I  have  no  wish  to  blame  any  one,  Mr. 
Carter,  but  I  was  shut  up  to  a  bare  and  nar- 
row life,  with  no  one  to  love  me." 


344     HAROLD  DORSE Y'S  FORTUNE. 

"Better  that,  young  man,  than  a  life  of  in- 
dulgence and  pampered  ease.  You  were 
brought  up  austerely,  but  you  were  brought 
up  purely.  Mr.  Dorsey  was  a  man  who 
would  see  that  you  acquired  no  bad  habits." 

"  Then  you  knew  Mr.  Dorsey,  and  will 
tell  me  of  him.  He  must  have  been  used  to 
a  different  life  from  that  we  lived  in  the 
woods." 

"He  was,  but  he  was  not  strong  enough  to 
resist  the  temptation  which  ruined  him,  and  his 
punishment  was  a  life  of  seclusion  with  you." 

"My  grandfather  consigned  him  to  that 
punishment  ?  " 

"He  did,  and  so  saved  the  man  from  a 
severer  punishment." 

"Was  the  man's  true  name,  Dorsey?" 

"  It  was  not.  That  name  was  assumed  to 
prevent  his  recognition." 

"And  my  grandfather  stipulated  that  I 
should  be  called  Harold  Dorsey." 

"  He  did ;  but  you  will  now  take  your 
place  as  your  mother's  son,  and  be  known  as 
Harry  Liscomb." 


THE    FRAGMENTS    OF    A    WILL.  345 

"  I  prefer  to  be  known  as  Harold  Dorsey, 
and,  Mr.  Carter,  I  wish  you  had  left  me  to 
go  on  with  my  own  plans.  I  have  kind 
friends  who  proved  their  friendship  when 
I  most  needed  it,  and  I  am  able  to  earn 
enough  for  all  my  wants." 

w  I  should  have  been  false  to  my  trust  if  I 
had  not  sought  you  out,  and  put  you  in  pos- 
session of  the  facts  I  have  told  you.  One- 
half  of  your  grandfather's  property  is  right- 
fully yours,  and  I  am  sure  that,  in  his  last 
hours,  he  wished  it  to  be  so.  His  last  act  re- 
stored to  you  your  birthright.  When  the  grave 
closes  over  our  friends,  we  should  forget  and 
forgive  their  faults.  None  of  us  are  perfect." 

"No,  sir,  we  are  not.  We  all  have  much 
for  which  to  be  forgiven,  and  if  my  grand- 
father had  seen  me,  he  might  have  felt  dif- 
ferently towards  me." 

"  He  would.  I  can  speak  for  him  there. 
He  would  have  been  glad  to  receive  you  as 
one  of  his  family.  You  have  your  mother's 
looks,  and  judging  from  what  I  have  heard 
of  you,  you  have  your  father's  ability." 


346         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"Is  my  father  dead?" 

"He  is.     I  know  that  for  a  certainty." 

"What  relatives  have  I?" 

"  You  have  four  cousins,  the  children  of 
your  mother's  brother :  a  young  man  and 
three  sisters.  Their  mother  is  living,  but 
your  uncle  has  been  dead  for  several  years." 

"  Are  any  of  them  Christians  ?  " 

trl  think  not.  Your  grandfather's  family 
was  never  considered  a  religious  family.  Are 
you  a  Christian  ?  " 

"Yes,  sir." 

w  I  am  glad  to  know  it.  I  make  no  pre- 
tensions to  being  a  Christian  myself,  but  I 
have  a  profound  respect  for  any  consistent 
Christian.  Hard  as  it  may  be,  I  am  sure 
now  that  you  will  forgive  your  grandfather ; 
and  when  you  come  to  understand  more  of 
what  your  life  might  have  been  with  him, 
possibly  you  will  be  thankful  that  he  gave 
you  into  Mr.  Dorsey's  hands." 

"  I  know  that  God  allowed  it,  and  that,  in 
some  way,  it  was  for  my  good." 

"That  is  a  sensible  conclusion,  and  since 


THE    FRAGMENTS    OF    A    WILL.  347 

•that  part  of  your  life  is  past,  it  will  be  best 
to  think  of  it  as  little  as  possible." 

Having  said  this,  Mr.  Gaiter  proceeded  to 
inform  his  companion  of  the  amount  of  prop- 
erty left  by  Mr.  Bryant.  One  half  of  this 
would  be  more  than  Harold  Dorsey  had  ever 
dreamed  of  possessing.  He  had  no  ambition 
to  be  rich ;  but  as  he  considered  how  much 
might  be  accomplished  with  large  means,  he 
felt  that  he  had  cause  for  thankfulness. 

Mr.  Carter's  time  was  limited ;  but  the 
short  hour  they  spent  together  gave  a  new 
impulse  to  two  lives. 

The  man  of  the  world,  with  his  sharp  prac- 
tice and  keen  insight,  had  learned  a  lesson  he 
could  not  forget. 

"Are  you  a  Christian?" 

This  question,  asked  involuntarily,  had 
been  answered  with  so  much  decision,  that 
he  could  not  doubt  it  had  been  answered 
truthfully.  A  Christian,  and  yet  so  young 
and  strong !  Was  it  not  time  that  he,  look- 
ing towards  the  sunset  of  his  life,  should  con- 
sider his  relations  with  God? 


348         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

"  A  Christian,  and  standing  head  and- 
shoulders  above  every  other  member  of  the 
Bryant  family,"  he  soliloquized.  "  He  has 
been  well  trained,  and  he  will  know  how  to 
make  money  of  real  use  to  himself  and  to  the 
world.  Morris  Bryant  is  not  to  be  compared 
with  him." 

"  Is  it  in  order  for  me  to  inquire  if  you 
have  seen  the  claimant  to  one-half  of  my 
grandfather's  estate  ?"  asked  this  same  Mor- 
ris Bryant  when  opportunity  offered. 

"  It  will  be  in  order  for  me  to  tell  you  that 
I  have  seen  Harry  Liscomb,  your  Aunt  ^is- 
comb's  son." 

"What  is  he  like?* 

"  Like  no  one  else  I  have  ever  seen.  In 
some  things  he  reminded  me  of  his  father." 

"  His  father  was  a  wretch." 

"  The  son  is  a  Christian." 

"  A  Christian  ! "  repeated  Morris  Bryant 
with  a  sneer  which  expressed  the  contempt 
he  felt  for  religion. 

"Yes,  a  Christian,  and  a  splendid  fellow 
every  way,"  said  Mr.  Carter  with  marked 


THE    FRAGMENTS    OF    A    WILL.  349 

emphasis.  "  He  deserves  to  be  rich,  yet  he 
is  able  to  make  his  own  fortune.  I  have 
never  seen  a  stranger  who  impressed  me 
more  favorably.  He  is  a  gentleman  in  his 
speech  and  manner,  and,  if  I  am  not  mis- 
taken, he  will  make  his  mark  in  the  world." 

"Will  he  come  here?" 

"  He  will  l)e  likely  to  come  some  time,  but 
he  has  other  business  on  hand  than  idling 
away  his  time." 

Harold  Dorsey  found  it  difficult  to  realize 
that  he  was  a  young  man  of  fortune.  There 
would  be  no  more  need  of  early  and  late 
woA  to  meet  his  expenses.  No  more  of  close 
economy,  sacrificing  one  desirable  object  to 
obtain  another  yet  more  desirable. 

The  mystery  of  his  life  was  explained. 
He  did  not  care  to  know  the  temptation  to 
which  Mr.  Dorsey  had  yielded,  but  he  wished 
this  man  was  still  living,  that  he  might  in 
some  way  atone  for  what  he  felt  to  be  his 
grandfather's  unkindness. 


350         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

GOOD  NEWS. 

I  AM  glad  this  fortune  did  not  come  to  you 
a  day  sooner,"  said  sMr.  Elliot,  when 
Harold  Dorsey  told  him  what  had  transpired. 
"I  am  very  glad  it  did  not  come  to  you 
a  day  sooner,"  he  added  still  more  emphati- 
cally. "  I  should  have  liked  to  see  what  you 
would  make  of  yourself  without  it;  but  I 
am  heartily  glad  that  justice  has  at  last  been 
done.  Your  friends  will  rejoice  with  you." 

"  I  thought  of  my  friends  the  moment  I 
knew  of  my  grandfather ;  but  I  was  coming 
so  soon,  I  did  not  write  about  it." 

"  And  you  are  Harry  Liscomb.  It  will  be 
strange  to  call  you  by  a  new  name." 

"  You  are  not  to  call  me  by  that  name,  Mr. 
Elliot.  I  prefer  the  old  name,  and  shall 
petition  for  the  right  to  retain  it." 

"  Have  you  thought  seriously  of  this  ?  " 


GOOD    NEWS.  351 

"Yes,  sir,  and  I  have  decided  what  I 
choose  to  do." 

"  Do  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peavey  know  of  your 
fortune  ?  " 

"  No,  sir ;  I  have  not  told  them.  I  wished 
to  tell  you  first." 

"  Thank  you  for  the  preference.  I  had  no 
claim  to  it,  but  I  appreciate  the  feeling  which 
prompted  it ;  and,  Harold,  as  I  was  your 
friend  in  adversity,  I  will  be  your  friend  in 
prosperity." 

"I  shall  always  be  grateful  for  your  friend- 
ship, Mr.  Elliot.  I  cannot  feel  half  so  rich, 
with  my  fortune,  as  I  did  when  I  was  sure  of 
work,  where  I  could  see  you  every  day,  and 
Mrs.  Peavey  told  me  I  could  occupy  her 
little  garret  chamber  as  long  as  I  pleased. 
Then  I  was  rich  indeed.  It  was  more  for  me 
than  millions  would  be  now." 

"  The  old  people  will  be  afraid  of  losing 
you." 

"  They  will  find  their  fears  groundless. 
I  would  not  desert  them  any  sooner  than 
I  would  desert  a  good  father  and  mother. 


352         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

I  shall  help  with  the  farm  work  as  I  always 
have.  I  shall  raise  the  roof  of  my  garret, 
to  give  myself  more  breathing  space  ;  but, 
so  long  as  I  live,  I  wish  to  feel  that  I  have  a 
right  to  that  room.  In  that  room  I  have 
made  some  of  the  most  important  decisions 
of  my  life." 

"  I  knew  you  would  come  before  long,  be- 
cause you  always  do  come  when  you  say  you 
will,  no  matter  how  many  other  folks  want 
to  see  you." 

"I  always  intend  to  keep  my  promises," 
said  Harold,  in  response  to  this  expression  of 
confidence  by  Mrs.  Peavey,  as  he  sat  down 
by  her  in  her  neat  kitchen,  a  few  minutes 
after  bidding  Mr.  Elliot  good  evening.  "  I 
have  some  news  to  tell  you  that  I  hope  you 
will  be  glad  to  hear." 

"  Then  it  must  be  good  news,  for  you 
wouldn't  hope  we'd  be  glad  to  hear  bad  news. 
Tell  us  what  it  is." 

Harold  told  them  with  few  words  and  few 
comments. 

"  It  aint  much  different  from  what  I  ex- 


GOOD    NEWS.  353 

pectecl,"  responded  Mr.  Peavey,  looking  at 
him  earnestly.  "Itaint  much  different,  and 
I  am  glad  you  are  rich,  because  you  will 
do  good  with  your  money.  It  will  take  us  a 
good  while  to  get  used  to  your  not  being  the 
same  you  have  been,  but  for  all  that,  we  can 
be  glad." 

"  I  am  glad  and  sorry  too,"  added  the  dear 
old  wife,  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  before 
Harold  could  assure  them  that  he  was  the 
very  same  he  had  been.  "  I  am  glad  for  you, 
and  sorry  for  us.  Xo\v  you  are  rich,  it  ain't 
likely  we  shall  see  much  more  of  you." 

r  Are  you  going  to  send  me  away  from 
you ;  away  from  the  only  home  I  have  ? ' 
asked  the  young  man.  "I  wish  to  think  of 
your  home  as  my  home,  the  same  as  if  I 
really  belonged  to  you.  I  would  like  to 
make  some  improvements  in  the  house,  if  you 
are  willing,  but  if  not,  I  shall  be  glad  to  call 
it  home,  just  as  it  is." 

This  reassured  his  friends,  and  before  they 
parted  for  the  night  calculations  had  been 
made  for  the  desired  improvements.  The 

23 


354        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

next  morning,  however,  when  Harold  ap- 
peared in  his  working-dress,  the  conversa- 
tion of  the  previous  evening  seemed  like  a 
dream  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peavey.  Could  it  be 
that  he  who  drove  the  cows  a-field,  whistling 
merrily,  was  really  worth  more  thousands  of 
dollars  than  they  could  count  acres  belong- 
ing to  their  farm? 

Strange,  and  yet  true,  as  everybody  in 
Austenville  soon  knew.  Congratulations  were 
showered  upon  him,  although  many  watched 
him  narrowly  to  see  if,  with  his  change  of 
fortune,  there  was  a  corresponding  change  in 
his  appearance.  But  with  all  their  scrutiny, 
they  saw  nothing  to  condemn,  as  he  called 
upon  one  and  another,  even  more  genial  and 
companionable  than  ever  before. 

Miss  Greenleaf  was  not  there.  Another 
had  taken  her  place,  while  she  had  fitted  her- 
self for  a  higher  and  more  lucrative  position, 
which  she  filled  with  rare  acceptance.  The 
years  spent  in  Austenville  had  counted  to  her 
for  more  than  twice  a  twelvemonth,  so  much 
had  she  learned  of  her  own  powers,  and  the 


GOOD   NEWS.  355 

possible  treasures  of  knowledge  she  might 
make  her  own. 

Esther  Wetherell  had  spent  a  part  of  two 
years  in  school,  but  she  was  now  at  home; 
and  hardly  had  she  accustomed  herself  to 
thinking  of  Harold  Dorsey  as  rich,  when  her 
cousin  saw  him  coming  towards  the  house. 

"There's  Harold  Dorsey,  looking  just  as 
he  used  to,"  said  Miss  Sperry,  calling  to 
Esther.  "  I  shouldn't  mistrust  there  had  been 
any  great  change  in  him,  only  what  you 
might  expect  in  a  young  man  that  is  learning 
all  the  time,  and  finding  out  what  he  is  good 
for.  We  aint  much  used  to  rich  folks,  but  I 
guess  he  can  come  right  in." 

As  the  door  was  ajar,  he  came  in  without 
ceremony,  and  was  presently  listening  to  a 
report  of  the  elder  woman's  success  in 
farming. 

"  I  have  prospered.  I  haven't  made  any 
great  amount  of  money ;  but  I  have  gained 
right  along,  and  I  am  in  a  fair  way  to  gain 
more.  I  have  some  good  stock,  and  I  shall 
raise  enough  to  live  on.  We  make  ourselves 


356         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

comfortable,  and  when  Esther  is  here  with 
me,  I  wouldn't  change  places  with  the  richest 
woman  in  the  country  ;  not  even  with  Miss 
Austen.  I  know  she  aint  the  richest,  but 
she  is  rich  enough,  and  she  is  going  to  be 
richer.  She  will  make  a  fortune  in  the  mill, 
and  she  deserves  it  too.  The  good  she  has 
done  here  in  town  is  more  than  anybody  can 
tell.  Some  of  it  folks  can  see,  but  a  good 
deal  of  the  best  part  of  it  is  out  of  sight. 
She  has  just  about  made  me  over,  and  there 
is  Esther  too.  But  she  can  speak  for  herself. 
I  guess  I  have  done  my  share  of  talking  for 
the  present." 

"  How  happy  she  is  in  her  work,"  remarked 
Harold,  when  this  farmer  had  left  the  room. 

"  She  is  very  happy,"  replied  Esther.  "  She 
was  always  good  and  kind,  but  her  life  was 
very  narrow  until  she  became  acquainted  with 
Miss  Austen.  Most  people  would  think  her 
life  narrow  now,  working  as  she  does  for 
small  profits,  and  counting  her  gains  so 
slowly,  but  she  is  satisfied." 

"  There  is  other  work  for  you." 


GOOD   NEWS.  357 

"I  think  there  is,  but  I  am  always  glad  to 
come  back  to  Cousin  Jane  and  help  her  in 
her  homely  labors.  It  does  me  good,  and  it 
seems  to  me  it  will  always  be  a  pleasure  to 
come  here,  even  should  I  live  to  be  as  rich  as 
people  say  you  are." 

"I  believe  you  would,  Esther.  Riches 
give  their  possessors  larger  opportunities,  but 
they  do  not  change  the  hearts." 

"  They  sonjetimes  seem  to,  Harold." 

"Such  hearts  are  poor  affairs,  at  best,  and 
their  owners  not  worth  consideration.  Miss 
Austen  and  Mr.  Stuart  would  never  change, 
except  to  grow  better.  They  deserve  to  be 
rich,  they  will  do  so  much  good  with  their 
money." 

"By  the  same  token,  you  deserve  to  be 
rich,  but  the  best  gifts  are  those  which  can- 
not be  valued  in  dollars  and  cents.  People 
can  earn,  money  for  themselves,  but  sympathy 
is  not  to  be  bought." 

"  That  is  true,  and  the  sympathy  I  receive 
from  my  friends  is  worth  more  to  me  than 
my  fortune." 


358         HAROLD  DOESEY'S  FORTUNE. 

"  I  can  understand  that ;  for  sympathy  and 
friendship  have  made  me  rich  without  a  for- 
tune." 

"I  can  understand  that,  too,  Esther,  and 
now  you  have  only  to -make  your  opportuni- 
ties and  improve  them.  They  will  be  sure 
to  come  at  your  will." 

"  I  know  that  by  experience.  I  intend  to 
take  what  is  called  a  thorough  course  of 
study,  but  I  am  not  ready  to  commence,  ex- 
cept as  I  am  gaining  little  by  little  from  term 
to  term.  I  am  glad  you  could  keep  on  stead- 
ily from  the  first,  as  I  suppose  Robert  Bum- 
stead  will." 

"  He  will  keep  on  to  the  end,  if  there  is  any 
end  for  him.  He  is  very  studious,  and  doing 
very  well." 

"We  should  expect  that,  of  course,  and 
his  grandparents  are  very  proud  of  him.  But 
I  think  they  have  hardly  recovered  from  their 
astonishment  at  his  wishing  to  go  to  school 
with  you,  so  young  as  he  was.  Mr.  Bum- 
stead  says  he  never  dreamed  of  having  a 
scholar  in  his  family." 


GOOD    NEWS.  359 

This  conversation  was  continued  until  in- 
terrupted by  a  summons  to  tea,  which  Miss 
Sperry  had  prepared ;  and  as  full  justice  was 
done  to  her  snowy  biscuits,  with  honey 
from  her  hives  under  the  old  apple-tree,  the 
hostess  envied  no  woman  grander  possessions. 
She  could  entertain  her  friends  generously  ; 
meet  the  demands  made  upon  her  as  a  member 
of  society,  and  contribute  her  share  to  help 
others  poorer  than  herself.  Beyond  this  she 
had  no  ambitions,  although  for  her  young 
cousin  her  hopes  and  expectations  were 
boundless. 

Harold  Dorsey  would  gladly  have  given 
this  cousin  substantial  assistance,  but  he 
feared  to  put  their  friendship  thus  to  the  test, 
and  so  was  content  to  wish  her  success,  while 
assuring  her  of  his  constant  sympathy. 

"  I  judge  her  by  myself,"  he  said  to  Miss 
Austen,  when  speaking  of  Esther  AVetherell. 

"Then  you  think  she  is  as  independent  as 
you  are,"  was  responded. 

"Yes,  ma'am,  quite  as  independent,  and 
much  prouder.  I  appreciated  Mr.  Stuart's 


360  HAROLD   DORSE Y'S    FORTUNE. 

kindness,  without  being  troubled  by  it ;  but 
if  I  should  offer  money  to  Esther,  even  as  a 
loan,  I  think  she  would  never  be  quite  so 
glad  to  see  me  again." 

"Perhaps  not.  I  have  thought  much  the 
same,  when  considering  how  I  could  give  her 
acceptable  help.  She  is  able  to  provide  for 
herself,  now  that  she  can  earn  money." 

"  Good  sense,  good  health,  and  an  oppor- 
tunity to  earn  money  is  all  one  needs  for  a 
start  in  life  ;  and  I  confess  that  I  was  a  little 
disappointed  when  I  found  myself  entitled  to 
a  fortune  I  had  not  earned.  Mr.  Elliot  told 
me  he  was  glad  it  did  not  come  to  me  sooner, 
and  I  am  glad  too.  I  needed  just  the  disci- 
pline I  had  with  Mr.  Dorsey,  and  the  expe- 
rience I  have  had  here  in  Austenville.  I 
wish  to  thank  you  now,  Miss  Austen,  for  all 
your  kindness.  I  can  never  make  you  any 
adequate  return,  but  I  appreciate  what  you 
have  done  for  me." 

"  I  have  only  done  my  pleasure,  and  it  is 
more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive." 

"  Then  you  must  be  blessed  indeed." 


GOOD   NEWS.  361 

"More  blessed  than  you  know,  Harold," 
said  Mr.  Stuart,  coming  in  that  moment. 
"  Aunt  Margaret  has  always  been  giving  of 
her  best,  and  yet  she  has  grown  richer  every 
day." 

"  So  that  no  one  is  indebted  to  me,"  re- 
joined Miss  Austen. 

Others .  thought  differently,  but  she  had 
neither  time  nor  inclination  to  calculate  what 
gratitude  was  her  due.  Her  relatives  and 
friends  would  never  outgrow  her  love  or  her 
influence,  although  some  around  her  were  fast 
outgrowing  their  positions  in  the  little  village 
of  which  she  was  the  presiding  genius. 

People  talked  of  Mr.  Elliot  as  the  smart- 
est man  in  town ;  worthy  of  public  confi- 
dence, and  fitted  to  represent  the  community 
in  the  legislature  of  the  State.  He  was  pop- 
ular with  all  classes,  as  he  could  not  fail  to 
know,  and  yet  he  worked  early  and  late, 
giving  no  sign  that  he  desired  a  wider  sphere 
of  action. 

"  He'll  not  be  doing  that  long,"  said  Mrs. 
Rady,  as  she  watched  him  from  the  mill  win- 


362         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

dow.  "There's  something  else  for  him,  and 
this  is  the  place  to  find  something  else.  If  I 
was  younger,  may  be  I'd  be  different." 

"Then  you  think  about  it,  don't  you, 
mother?"  responded  Mrs.  Borine. 

"  I  think  many  things,  but  there's  my  loom 
needing  me,"  and  with  deft  fingers  she  sup- 
plied some  threads  which  had  dropped  from 
the  web  she  was  weaving. 

If  younger,  she  might  be  different.  Old 
as  she  thought  herself,  she  was  different  from 
what  she  had  been.  The  blind  faith  in  priest 
and  confessional  had  given  place  to  question- 
ings if  cross  and  crucifix  were  more  than  em- 
blems of  a  religion  having  its  home  in  the 
heart,  and  exemplified  in  the  life.  A  chapter 
from  the  Bible  was  read  aloud  in  her  home 
every  morning,  and  deeper  than  she  knew 
were  the  impressions  this  reading  had  pro- 
duced. 

"  O  granny,  if  you  would  only  go  to  the 
Sunday  meetings ! "  exclaimed  Norah,  while 
she  and  her  mother  waited  to  hear  the  stroke 
of  the  bell. 


GOOD   NEWS.  363 

w  Never  mind  me,  honey,"  was  replied.  "I'll 
bide  at  home ;  and  when  you  come  you'll  sing 
to  me.  Then  I'll  have  my  meeting.  But 
mind  you,  both,  if  I'm  sick  and  like  to  die, 
call  the  mistress." 

"  I  never  thought,  before,  that  granny  could 
die,"  remarked  the  child  as  they  walked  on. 
"  I  must  be  careful  not  to  trouble  her.  She 
does  so  much  for  me,  I  have  the  same  as  two 
mothers." 

"  Bless  her  dear  heart,"  thought  Mrs.  Rady 
when  left  alone.  "  She's  that  kind  and  tender, 
it  pays  for  all  my  work  ;  and,  please  God,  she 
shall  have  a  chance  with  the  best.  Harold 's  at 
home,  and  the  meeting  sure  to  be  what  they'll 
like.  "Well,  now,  it's  strange ; "  and  the 
woman  leaned  forward,  resting  her  head  upon 
her  hands.  "It's  strange,  the  way  with 
things  here.  Would  they  been  the  same, 
was  master  a  priest,  and  mistress  a  nun? 
Would  I  have  my  darling  in  the  old  church f: " 

She  caught  her  breath  quickly,  as  this  last 
question  was  uttered  almost  aloud,  crossing 
herself  in  token  of  acknowledgment  of  sin. 


364         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

Then,  rising,  she  went  out  to  examine  her 
garden,  thus  resolutely  putting  away  all 
thoughts  of  religion ;  and  it  was  not  until 
Norah  called  to  her  that  she  again  entered  the 
house. 

"O  granny,  it  was  best  of  all,"  said  the 
child.  "  Nobody  ever  talked  so  well  before 
as  Harold  Dorsey  did  to-night.  I  wish  I 
could  be  as  glad  and  happy  as  he  is ;  and  it 
isn't  because  he  has  so  much  money  either. 
He  never  said  a  word  about  that." 

"What  did  he  talk  about?"  asked  Mrs. 
Rady. 

"  About  true  riches ;  the  riches  there  is  in 
the  love  of  Christ  Jesus ;  because  we  can 
have  that  love  everywhere  and  all  the  time. 
You  know  Christ  Jesus  is  the  Saviour, 
granny." 

"  Yes,  child,  I'd  be  a  heathen,  not  to  know 
that." 

"He  has  all  power  in  His  hands,  and  can 
give  us  everything  that  is  best  for  us  to  have. 
Harold  said  that  when  God  takes  one  thing 
away  from  us,  He  gives  us  something  else  in 


GOOD   NEWS.  3G5 

place  of  what  He  takes  away.  I  kept  think- 
ing, all  the  time,  how  thankful  I  was  He  gave 
me  such  a  dear,  good  grandmother.  Jessie 
says  I  ought  to  call  you  grandmother,  but  I 
told  her  you  liked  granny  better." 

"  So  I  do,  Koran,  dear.  It  has  the  old 
home  sound,  and  I'm  hoping  you'll  not  change 
my  name  with  everything  else." 

"  I  never  will  change  it,  granny,  no  matter 
what  comes." 


366   HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 


H 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

MANY   CHANGES. 

AROLD  .DORSET  has  his  rights  at 
last !  " 

Jaques  Beloy  heard  the  glad  news  and  made 
the  forest  echo  with  his  shouts.  No  particu- 
lars were  known  ;  but  the  simple  fact  was  suf- 
ficient to  arouse  the  enthusiasm  of  all  who  had 
known  him  in  his  old  home.  When  he  should 
come  among  them  again,  he  would  come  as  a 
rich  man,  perhaps  Almost  as  a  stranger ;  yet 
they  Avould  still  rejoice  in  his  good  fortune. 

"  Don't  tell  me  that,"  exclaimed  the  chop- 
per, when  some  one  ventured  to  suggest  the 
possibility  of  the  young  man's  indifference  to 
such  plain  people.  "  I  know  Plarold  Dorsey 
too  well  to  believe  it  of  him.  He'll  come  as 
a  friend,  and  preach  to  us  God's  truth,  while 
he  lives  up  to  it  every  day  of  his  life.  He's 
too  grand  to  be  set  up  with  money,  even  if  he 


MANY    CHANGES.  367 

could  buy  the  whole  town.  No,  sir.  When 
he  comes,  you'll  see  that  he  haint  gone  back 
on  himself." 

"  I  hope  so,"  was  replied  doubtingly. 

"I  know  so.  Trust  me  for  that,"  said 
Jaques,  marching  away  with  firm  step,  and 
whistling  cheerily. 

Never  a  doubt  had  he,  and  when  surprised 
by  his  landlord,  the  hearty  greeting  he  re- 
ceived confirmed  his  loyal  trust. 

"  I  told  them  all  you'd  be  as  good  as  ever, 
and  I  don't  care  if  you've  got  millions,  you'll 
be  the  same  to  me." 

"  I  should  be  sorry  to  seem  otherwise,"  re- 
sponded Harold  to  this  assurance. 

"I  should  be  the  sorriest;  but  you're  all 
right,  just  as  I  knew  you'd  be.  Now  I  want 
you  to  come  'round  to  supper  with  us.  I've 
got  more  to  show  you  that  I've  done  last  year, 
and  my  wife  begins  to  want  another  room, 
now  the  children  are  growing  larger,  and  we 
can  live  more  like  folks." 

"  She  needs  another  room,  and  she  shall 
have  it,"  said  the  owner  of  the  house,  with  a 


368         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

smile  at  his  companion's  earnestness.  "  I  will 
take  supper  with  you  to-morrow,  and  then  we 
will  decide  about  it.  Mrs.  Andrews  will  ex- 
pect me  to  supper  to-day." 

"Is  Ben  at  home?" 

"No,  he  is  not." 

"  I  wish  he  was.  I  want  you  to  see  him  ; 
though  may  be,  if  you  do,  he  won't  tell  you ; 
but  he  needs  some  help.  He  has  done  the 
best  he  could,  but  he's  getting  tired  out,  and 
there's  a  long  road  before  him  yet.  If  you've 
got  money,  the  Lord  meant  you  should  divide 
with  them  that  aint  likely  to  get  much  any 
other  way." 

"I  understand  you,  Mr.  Beloy,  and  I  thank 
you  for  the  suggestion." 

"You  are  welcome,  Mr.  Dorsey.  I  don't 
know  as  you  needed  to  have  me  say  anything, 
but  the  last  time  I  saw  Ben,  he  looked  so  pale 
and  tired,  that  if  it  hadn't  been  for  my  fam- 
ily, I  should  offered  him  a  month's  earnings 
on  the  spot.  But  you  see,  Harold,  I  have  my 
children  to  think  of,  and  they'll  be  wanting  to 
know  as  much  as  the  rest.  I'm  learning,  too, 


MANY   CHANGES.  369 

myself,  the  same  lessons  my  oldest  girl  learns 
in  school.  My  wife  and  I  never  had  much 
chance  to  learn  books,  and  it  aint  likely  we 
should  ever  cared,  if  we  hadn't  begun  to  study 
the  Bible.  That  set  us  to  thinking,  and  so 
we  study  other  things.  Nina  says  we  learn 
fast,  but  there  are  some  things  we  don't  any 
of  us  understand,  that  perhaps  you'll  explain 
to  us." 

"  Certainly  I  will,  and  I  am  glad  to  know 
you  are  studying.  You  could  not  do  a  wiser 
thing." 

"We've  been  to  singing-school,  besides, 
with  the  oldest  children,  and  every  one  of 
them,  down  to  the  baby,  can  sing  our  hymns. 
We've  been  over  to  the  meeting  two  or  three 
Sundays,  and  ever  since  Nina  heard  the  organ 
there,  she  says  she  shall  learn  to  play  one 
some  time.  She  is  brim-full  of  music.  I  hope 
you  are  going  to  stay  over  two  Sundays  with 
us." 

"  I  intend  to  be  here  two  Sundays.'* 

"  Good  for  you.  We  must  let  everybody 
know  you  are  here,  so  there'll  be  a  good  turn- 


370        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

out.  We  always  do  the  best  we  can  for  our- 
selves, and  sometimes  we  get  some  help  from 
visitors,  but  you'll  count  for  more  than  all  the 
rest." 

When  Sunday  morning  dawned,  many  who 
cared  little  for  a  religious  meeting  were  at- 
tracted from  their  homes  by  a  desire  to  see 
Harold  Dorsey ;  so  crowding  the  little  school 
house  that  it  became  necessary  to  conduct  the 
services  in  an  adjoining  grove  where  was 
ample  space.  In  these  Harold  bore  a  conspic- 
uous part,  earnest  and  impressive ;  and  at 
their  close,  nearly  the  entire  congregation 
gathered  around  him,  eager  to  congratulate 
and  thank  him. 

"  'Twas  hard  for  you,  living  with  Mr.  Dor- 
sey, shut  up,  as  you  used  to  be  ;  but  we  can't 
any  of  us  be  sorry  you  was  sent  here,"  said 
an  old  man.  "I  studied  over  it  a  good  deal, 
but  I  never  got  no  clew  to  it,  till  after  Ben 
Andrews  started  up  these  meetings,  and  told 
us  what  first  set  him  to  reading  the  Bible. 
Then,  when  I  see  how  things  came  'round, 
and  I  remembered  what  I'd  'most  forgot ;  that 


MANY   CHANGES.  371 

the  Lord  always  carries  out  His  own  plans,  I 
knew  you  hadn't  got  through  with  us.  That's 
been  proved  all  along,  and  proved  again  to- 
day. I've  lived  as  I  hadn't  ought  to,  but  if 
my  prayers  can  count  for  anything,  may  God 
bless  you." 

Ben  Andrews  walked  five  miles  that  day, 
that  he  might  be  present  at  the  meetings,  and 
in  the  evening,  he  and  Harold  Dorsey  talked 
for  hours ;  until  he  was  constrained  to  accept 
the  proffered  loan  to  meet  his  college  ex- 
penses. 

Harold  had  not  yet  attained  his  majority, 
but  he  had  sufficient  means  at  his  command 
to  do  what  he  wished.  During  the  week  he 
made  arrangements  for  adding  a  room  to  his 
cottage,  and  went  every  day  to  admire  the 
rustic  elegance  which  had  so  increased  its 
value.  He  gratified  his  tenants  by  eating  with 
them  on  several  occasions,  noting,  as  he  did 
so,  the  growing  refinement  apparent  in  the 
manners  of  those  who  sat  at  table  with  him. 

He  would  have  enjoyed  spending  his  entire 
vacation  there,  but  others,  elsewhere,  had 


372         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

strong  claims  upon  him.  There  was  work  to 
be  done  on  Mr.  Peavey's  farm,  and  improve- 
ments to  be  made  in  the  house.  Some  pleas- 
ure excursions,  too,  had  been  planned  with 
Dick  Fielding,  in  which  Clarke  and  Mason 
Stuart  would  join. 

It  was  under  new  conditions  that  he  met 
most  of  the  young  people  visiting  at  the  great 
house ;  but  as  Mason  told  him,  with  charac- 
teristic frankness,  he  was  no  better  for  being 
richer,  and  he  must  expect  to  be  treated  just 
the  same  as  he  always  had  been. 

Desiring  nothing  more,  he  took  his  old 
place  among  them ;  a  general  favorite,  sure 
of  a  welcome  whenever  he  appeared.  Jessie 
and  Norah  were  shy  of  him  at  first,  but  grad- 
ually this  shyness  disappeared,  and  he  was  so 
far  taken  into  favor  that  they  confided  to  him 
their  plans  for  "  going  away  to  school."  They 
were  going  together,  and  they  hoped  to  be 
with  Esther  Wetherell  and  Miss  Greenleaf. 

"  Won't  we  be  the  happiest  girls  if  it  all 
comes  about  as  we  expect !  And  won't  it  be 
the  nicest  of  anything  that  could  possibly  hap- 


MANY  CHANGES.  373 

pen  to  us  ! '  exclaimed  Norah.  "  Then  we 
shall  be  coming  home  for  vacations,  the  same 
as  you  do  ;  but  I  don't  suppose  we  shall  ever 
know  as  much  as  you  will.  Perhaps  we  shall 
not  know  as  much  as  Robert,  but  we  shall 
know  all  we  can." 

"I  have  no  doubt  you  will  be  splendid 
scholars,  but  what  of  those  you  leave  at 
home?" 

"  Mother  and  granny  say  they  are  willing 
to  do  without  me." 

"  And  my  father  says  he  is  willing  to  do 
without  me,  because  he  knows  I  ought  to 
learn  more  than  I  can  learn  here." 

"  Almost  everybody  is  trying  to  learn. 
Miss  Sperry  says  she  should  go  to  school, 
herself,  if  she  wasn't  so  old.  Have  you 
been  to  see  her  this  vacation?" 

"Yes,  I  have." 

"  Then  you  know  how  much  nicer  her 
house  is  than  it  used  to  be  ;  and  Miss  Austen 
says  she  is  a  very  superior  woman." 

"Yes,  only  she  didn't  have  any  chance 
when  she  was  young,"  added  Jessie.  "  You 


374        HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

didn't,  either,  Harold,  but  father  says  you 
are  one  of  a  thousand,  and  I  think  you  must 
be." 

To  the  friends  who  regarded  Harold  Dor- 
sey  with  such  affectionate  admiration,  the 
indifference  of  his  relatives  was  incomprehen- 
sible. Mrs.  Bryant  was  wise  enough  to 
know  that  he  might  prove  a  desirable  ac- 
quaintance ;  but  she  continued  to  regard  him 
as  an  enemy,  even  after  he  had  relinquished 
all  claim  to  the  family  mansion,  upon  terms 
she  acknowledged  to  be  most  generous. 

Morris  professed  to  believe  him  an  impos- 
tor, recklessly  denouncing  Mr.  Carter  as  base 
and  false ;  but  none  of  these  things  moved 
either  the  lawyer  or  his  client.  Devoting 
himself  entirely  to  study,  the  latter  made 
such  rapid  progress,  that  he  was  fitted  for 
college  a  year  in  advance  of  the  class  of 
which  he  had  been  a  member  when  he  en- 
tered school. 

Then  onward  and  upward,  his  way  lay 
plain  before  him.  His  wealth,  his  high 
standing  as  a  scholar,  and  his  fine  personal 


MANY    CHANGES.  375 

appearance  gave  him  at  once  an  enviable  po- 
sition. Back  of  all  these,  too,  was  a  sturdy 
independence,  with  an  unflinching  regard  for 
truth,  which  made  his  religion  conspicuous 
for  its  consistency. 

He  was  a  friend  to  those  most  needing 
friendship  ;  and  many  a  poor  student  blessed 
an  unknown  benefactor  for  timely  assistance. 
Simple  in  his  manners  and  habits,  he  was  an 
example  for  others  who  sometimes  found  it 
hard  to  resist  the  temptations  to  extravagance. 

"  Harold  Dorsey  is  the  grandest  fellow  in 
college,"  wrote  Dick  Fielding  to  Miss  Aus- 
ten. "  I  wish  you  could  see  how  like  a  king 
he  moves  among  us  all,  without  manifesting 
either  pride  or  vanity.  He  is  above  that." 

Harold,  in  his  turn,  was  lavish  in  praise  of 
this  friend,  from  whom  so  much  was  ex- 
pected ;  and  by  their  mutual  representations 
Mason  Stuart  was  induced  to  revoke  his  de- 
cision against  four  years  of  study  within 
college  walls.  He  would  go  with  Rufus 
Brown  and  Robert  Bumstead,  and  he  would 
do  so  well  that  Aunt  Margaret  should  have 


376         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE. 

no  occasion  to  feel  that  money  was  wasted 
upon  him. 

Margaret  Austen  could  well  afford  to  edu- 
cate two  boys.  In  devising  liberal  things  for 
others,  she  had  ensured  her  own  prosperity. 
A  large  brick  mill  had  been  erected  by  the  old 
stone  mill,  while  new,  commodious  houses 
made  pleasant  homes  for  the  men  and  women 
to  whom  this  gave  employment.  There  was 
a  demand  for  their  goods,  keeping  pace  with 
the  supply,  and  every  bale  of  these  goods  was 
sold  under  the  direct  supervision  of  Clarke 
Stuart,  so  that  the  entire  profits  of  the  busi- 
ness were  retained  in  the  family. 

Xears  have  passed  since  then,  bringing 
changes  to  those  whose  fortunes  have  been  so 
strangely  mingled,  yet  Austenville  is  still  in 
the  full  tide  of  prosperity.  Dwellings  have 
been  enlarged  and  remodelled,  but  they  are 
the  same  to  those  who  occupy  them. 

Mr.  Elliot's  cottage  has  been  improved  from 
time  to  time,  until  no  one  would  recognize 
its  identity.  He,  too,  has  improved,  dis- 
charging faithfully  and  well  the  public  duties 


MANY    CHANGES.  377 

devolving  upon  him.  He  does  not  forget  the 
time  when  he  thought  himself  rich  with  the 
humblest  shelter  for  his  child ;  and  now,  with 
money  and  honors,  he  thanks  God  for  unde- 
served mercies. 

The  friendship  between  Jessie  and  Norah 
Borine  has  stood  the  test  of  time,  which  has 
only  drawn  them  more  closely  together.  Mrs. 
Rady  has  lived  to  see  her  granddaughter  ad- 
mired for  beauty  and  accomplishments  such 
as  few  possess,  while  at  home  there  could  be 
no  more  dutiful  or  loving  child. 

Edward  Stuart's  wife  is  mistress  of  the 
great  house  ;  a  worthy  mistress  too,  who  so  far 
as  may  be,  emulates  the  virtues  of  her  prede- 
cessor. Miss  Austen  spends  some  part  of 
each  year  there,  but  the  house  in  which  she 
was  born  grows  dearer  to  her  as  the  years  go 
by,  and  she  can  trust  her  nephews  to  care  for 
her  interests  as  well  as  their  own.  Other 
nephews  and  nieces  have  been  added  to  the 
number  who  as  children  called  her  "Margie," 
and  to  them  all  has  she  given  loving  wel- 
come. Harold  Dorsey  and  Dick  Fielding, 


378         HAROLD  DORSET'S  FORTUNE . 

as  his  family  still  call  him,  spent  a  37ear  in 
Europe,  and  returned  to  establish  themselves, 
each  in  his  chosen  profession :  the  one  as  a 
lawyer,  the  other  as  a  physician.  Dr.  Field- 
ing has  the  reputation  of  a  skilful  practi- 
tioner, and  is  winning  his  way  to  popular 
favor. 

His  friend  Harold  may  have  a  more  bril- 
liant career,  but  it  will  hardly  be  more  useful, 
although  large  opportunities  open  before  them 
both.  The  old  people  who  welcomed  the 
stranger  lad  to  their  home  have  grown  more 
and  more  dependent  upon  him,  yet  in  the 
midst  of  fast  increasing  cares  and  responsi- 
bilities, they  are  never  neglected,  never  for- 
gotten. 

No  more  does  the  lad  forget  the  old  forest 
home,  which  he  visits  yearly,  and  near  which 
he  has  builded  a  beautiful  chapel,  where  the 
people  may  gather  from  sabbath  to  sabbath, 
and  where  he  himself  worships  with  a  depth 
of  emotion  he  feels  nowhere  else.  On  his 
last  visit  he  was  accompanied  by  one  whom 
we  have  known  as  Jessie  Elliot,  but  whom 


MANY    CHANGES.  379 

he    introduced    to     his    friends    as    "Mrs. 
Dorsey." 

"A  proper  match,"  Miss  Sperry  said. 
"There  never  was  a  better  one,  and  I  tell 
you  what,  Esther,  she  is  as  well  off  as  if  she 
could  paint  pictures  and  sing  like  Norah 
Borine.  I'm  thinking,  too,  that  Norah  will 
be  married  before  many  years.  Mason  Stu- 
art don't  calculate  to  give  up  when  he  has 
once  set  his  heart  on  anything,  and  his  heart 
is  set  on  having  Norah  for  a  wife.  If  it  aint, 
there  can't  anybody  read  by  signs.  You 
couldn't  tell  so  well  about  Harold,  because 
the  signs  didn't  show.  But  there,  we  have 
moved  along  with  the  rest ;  and,  please  God, 
we  will  keep  on  to  the  end,  you  in  your  way 
and  I  in  mine.  When  Miss  Greenleaf  came 
here,  she  didn't  know  on  what  road  she  had 
started,  any  more  than  Harold  Dorsey  knew 
where  he  was  going,  when  he  stopped  at  Mr. 
Peavey's.  People  talk  about  his  fortune 
coming  to  him  when  his  grandfather  died, 
but  I  tell  you  it  came  to  him  a  good  while 
before  that." 


REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACIUT 


A    000091  136     2 


